Donald Lockwood Burge passed away peacefully on March 23, 2023 in Price, Utah of natural causes.
He was born in Los Angeles, California on June 26, 1934 to Jack Hallet Burge and Helen Lockwood Burge. He was raised in Southern California. He attended USC with a pre-med major which he later changed to Physical Geology. He moved to Utah to continue his education at BYU in Provo where he met Sherril Dean Johnson at a dance. They quickly fell in love and were married on January 5, 1957. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Price where they raised their family and made a wonderful life with many dear friends during their more than 64-year love affair.
He was a professor at the College of Eastern Utah (now USU Eastern) for over 40 years. He taught mineralogy, physical geology, math, paleontology, astronomy, wilderness studies, archery, and fencing, along with many other topics.
While living in an area rich in Native American artifacts, fossils, and petroglyphs, he became interested in Paleontology and Archeology. Along with friendships he had made with local people with similar interests, including Dr. Eldon Dorman, Jim Jensen and so many others, he came up with the idea of starting a prehistoric museum. Using donated artifacts along with items that could be gathered in the area, including fossils from the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry the CEU Prehistoric Museum became a reality in 1961. He was the founding director and worked there for 40-plus years. During that time, he was intimately involved with the paleontological work on Al the Allosaurus, Utah Raptor and other dinosaurs along with the Huntington Mammoth. A dinosaur called Gastonia burgei that was discovered with the Utah Raptor was officially named after him and Rob Gaston.
Don had so many passions that he was often called a “Renaissance man.” He liked to study things of all varieties and try making them himself. In addition to paleontology, archeology, and astronomy he loved the following: attending mountain man rendezvous, making and wearing buckskin outfits, making and sleeping in his teepee, building muzzle loaders and bows and arrows, shooting competitively, hunting and fishing, camping, hiking, river running, sculpting, listening to music (Neil Diamond, Roger Whittaker, Johnny Cash and musicals like Paint Your Wagon), playing the piano as well as guitars and banjos, reading, throwing knives and hatchets, building and shooting black powder cannons, target shooting, reading and writing in Egyptian hieroglyphics, and so many other passions. He rarely spent a weekend home and loved camping on the San Rafael Desert with his family. Don was a kind and loving man.
He is survived by his four children, Jackie Litizzette (late spouse Larry) of Logan, Bob Burge of Price, Steven Burge (Denette) of Salt Lake City, and Sherida Burge of Price; grandchildren, Erica (Mike), Ashley (Kendall), Jordan (Whitney), Krista (Geoff), Marquis (Denali) Newman, Tony, Nick (Nicole), and Mike Litizzette. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Throughout his life he had many special friends whom he cherished.
His parents, wife (Sherril Johnson Burge) and siblings (Virginia Munns and Bill Burge) preceded him in death.
The family would like to thank all of his compassionate caregivers, doctors and friends at the Pinnacle Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Heirloom Inn, and Symbii Home Health and Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to this memorial fund: https://www.usu.edu/advancement/give/memorial/donburge. Proceeds will go to the Prehistoric Museum in Price.
Funeral service, Saturday, April 1, 2023, 11:00 a.m., Mitchell Funeral Home (233 East Main Street) in Price, Utah where the family will receive friends beginning at 9:30 a.m. prior to the service. Burial will follow in the Cliffview Cemetery in Price. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price and Huntington where friends are always welcome daily and may share memories of Don online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net