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L. DEAN BURCH
August 22, 1932 ~ August 8, 2013
L. Dean Burch of Vancouver, WA, passed away on Aug. 8, 2013. He was born in the midst of the Dust Bowl in Beaver County, OK to Francis and Lela Burch. As a small boy, his parents moved, him and his brother Leroy (deceased) and sister Lorene (deceased) to Oregon. His early years were spent in Sherwood, OR before finally moving to Portland.
Dean was a very active athlete and excelled at Jefferson High School in football, golf and track. Golf would remain a life long passion with him, earning him seven holes-in-one and several "eagles". He was a previous member of Royal Oaks Country Club, Orchard Hills Country Club in Washington and presently, El Cid in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Drafted during the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard in the Pacific. After being honorably discharged, he attended and graduated from the University of Oregon and remained a constant "Duck" fan all his life.
His career started as a lumber trader, working with Japanese and Oregon firms, which enabled him to travel the world. His proudest achievement, thought, was starting and operating the Sextant Bar & Galley, on the Columbia River, forty years ago. The Sextant has become a local landmark, where members of his old football team and other high school mates meet for get-togethers every month.
His sense of adventure led him to all the continents. As a young adult, Dean sailed in the Trans-Pacific yacht race from San Francisco to Hawaii. In later years, he traveled and lived winters in Mexico, a country he truly loved.
Dean's candid observations and sly humor will be greatly missed by his wife of thirty three years, Mary. He leaves behind: sons, Don Burch (Candace) and Mike Burch (Christy); daughter, Karen Englund (Jon); step-daughters, Helene Guinette and Elizabeth Guinette; five grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and a multitude of lifelong friends.
A Celebration of Life is planned for August 25th, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at his residence.
Interment will take place on August 30th at Willamette National Cemetery at 1:00 p.m.
Please sign his guestbook at: www.columbian.com/obits.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
Donnie and family,
We are so sorry for your loss, our prayers are with you.
Terry and Deb
Terry Dusenberry
August 21, 2013
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