Robert “Bob” Burger, born July 26, 1939, in Rochester, New York, died March 2, 2024, in Johnson City, New York. He is predeceased by his parents Norman and Wilma. Bob is survived by his wife Mary Mansfield, his sons and daughter in laws, Robert Jr. (Buck) and Theresa, John and Yvonne, and Garrett and Stephanie. Daughters and son in laws, Debbie and Joe, Linda and Dave, and Christine. Special family member Bill. Grandchildren Derek (Sheena), Jessica, Kadee (Russ), Samantha (Patrick), Ryan (Lauren), Mara (Fedi), Kasey, Jack (Faith), Sam, Aiden, Angel, Kaleb, and Ava. Great Grandchildren Ryker, Talan, Maggee, Levi, Hina, Gavin, Kallee, Graham, Lorenzo, and Bennett.
Bob graduated from Benjamin Franklin Highschool and went on to earn his mechanical engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. In 1962, he began his career with The Remington Arms in Ilion, New York, and then went on to attain his master’s in business administration from the University of Rochester in 1965. Two years later he began his career with IBM in Owego as an Industrial Engineer, focusing on manpower and capital equipment planning. Contract Management became his specialty, and he would start by helping small and disadvantaged businesses become sub-contractors for IBM. In 1992, Bob would move to England to work on contracts with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense. Upon his return to the United States, he finished his career with Lockheed Martin. Once Bob retired, he got his real estate license and later volunteered with SCORE, a national association dedicated to helping small business owners form and grow their businesses, as a counselor and mentor. https://www.score.org/centralny
While living and working in Owego in the seventies, Bob became involved with the Village’s government, serving from 1971 to 1974 as a Trustee and then Mayor from 1974 through 1980. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Tioga County United Way. In the spring of 1981, Bob met Mary Mansfield and they would spend the next 43 years together traveling, skiing and spending time with family and friends. The seven years they spent together in England afforded them the opportunity to see all of Europe. The stories from that time never ended and you could not be happier for them.
A special thank you to Bob’s favorite nurse, Jackie, for the excellent care she always gave to him. A thank you also to all the nurses and hospice care staff for the comfort you gave to Bob and his family.
Allen Memorial Home is assisting the family and a celebration of Bob’s life will be held at The Parkview in Owego, New York, on April 20, 2024, at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the SCORE Foundation in Bob’s memory. https://scorefoundation.org/donate/