Esther B. Burdick…August 14, 1927 – March 30, 2015

Funeral services for Lamar resident and homemaker Esther B. (Freeman) Burdick will be held 3:00 p.m. Friday April 3, 2015 at the Lamar First Baptist Church with Pastor Phil Burdick officiating. The graveside committal service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Monday April 6, 2015 at the Sutphen Mill Cemetery at Chapman, KS with Ron Burdick officiating. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. Friday April 3, 2015 at Valley Memorial Funeral Chapel – Lamar, CO.

Mrs. Burdick, age 87, departed this life on March 30, 2015 at Prowers Medical Center in Lamar following a stroke. Esther was born August 14, 1927 near Chapman, KS – the daughter of N.B. and Addie (Worley) Freeman, who were originally from Tennessee.

Esther grew up on a farm and attended rural grade school and high school in Chapman, KS. She was baptized at the Sutphen Mill Christian church, her home church, at fifteen years of age. After graduating from high school, she attended Kansas State University at Manhattan where she prepared to teach rural elementary school. She met Ralph Burdick at the First Baptist church in Manhattan. They were married June 1^st, 1948 at the First Baptist church in Abilene, Kansas. Esther taught in rural elementary schools until Ralph graduated from Kansas State University in 1949. They lived in Marysville, KS; Manhattan, KS; Sioux City, IA; Humboldt, NE; La Junta, CO; and finally in Lamar, CO. Esther and Ralph had four children: Philip, Ronald, Anita, and Scott.

Esther sang in church choirs, taught Sunday school classes for many years, was a member of the Gideon Auxiliary, and hosted Christian Women’s Clubs. Some of her favorite things to do as a child were listening to her father tell stories of his pioneer father hiding from the Indians, fishing, looking at her mother’s flowers, bird watching, playing and listening to music (always very important to her) and reading-avidly.  Reading, she says, was her ”first and greatest love.” She came to a saving knowledge of Christ in her college years while teaching in a one-room schoolhouse. Her favorite scripture is I John 5:13,”I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Grandma ‘B’, as her grandchildren affectionately call her, wishes to be remembered as one who loved the Lord and learned how to trust in Him and her hope is that they will too.

Esther is survived by three sons – Philip and his wife Sherry Burdick of Redlands, CA, Ronald Burdick of Lamar, CO, Scott and his wife Lorrie Burdick of Aurora, CO; also surviving are nine grand-children Jonathan and Daniel Burdick of Ft. Collins, CO and Michael, Matthew, Mark, Micah, Malachi, Matthias, and Melissa Burdick of Aurora, CO; Esther’s sister – Tena White of Pantego, TX; brother – Ivan and wife Mary Lou Freeman of Chapman, KS; as well as several nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother – Herman Freeman; her sister – Dora Rudolph; her husband – Ralph C. Burdick; and her daughter – Anita Burdick.

Memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church, Lamar, CO in care of Valley Memorial Funeral Chapel, P.O. Box 950, Lamar, CO 81052.

For more information or to leave online condolences please visit www.valleymemorialfc.com.