Before you begin reading, please ask Siri or Alexa to play “New Life”, by Thomas Bergersen
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Quiet and unassuming, a brilliant intellect, quick to laugh, and ever joyous, Barbara Nadig
Burgeson passed as she lived, peacefully and without fanfare.
She was born in Perkasie, PA on Valentines Day, 1934. Barbara grew up in Philadelphia, where
she would discover her great and abiding love for both art and classical music. An
exceptionally talented artist, Barbara excelled in both drawing and piano. In her youth, she
weathered the Great Depression better than most with her father providing a steady income as
a physics professor. Upon graduation from high school, Barbara attended Oberlin College in
Ohio completing her studies with a Bachelor’s Degree in Concert Piano. Her college days were
instrumental in fine tuning her intellect, providing classical education on a scale that is rarely
seen today. Barbara excelled in the music program at Oberlin and elected to continue
pursuing her education at the University of Colorado in Boulder, earning a Masters Degree. It
was in Boulder that Barbara was to meet the man fate had destined her to marry, Duane
Burgeson. Following a whirlwind courtship, Barbara and Duane were married in August 1958,
three months after they met. Their enduring romance can only be ascribed to Fate... the last
six numbers of Barbara’s social security number were the same a Duane’s birthday. Barbara
gave up pursuing her concert piano ambitions to support Duane in his career as an engineer/
physicist. The grass never grew long under their feet as the new couple moved from Colorado
to Ohio, back to Colorado. In Ohio, the Burgeson’s started a family with the birth of their first
son, Erik. Upon returning to Colorado, the Burgeson clan expanded with the addition of Kurt in
1963 and Amy in 1965. Even with her hands full raising her family, Barbara continued to follow
her love of music through teaching piano privately. The joy she brought to so many, as they
learned to play the piano, is a gift that will continue to be shared well into the future. Ever
ready to accept a new challenge and support Duane, Barbara successfully navigated moving
her family numerous times from Colorado to Michigan before finally settling in New Mexico in
1979. Barbara always dreamed of traveling the world and experiencing the cultures of different
lands. Through her globe-trotting children, she and Duane were able to do just that, traveling
to South Korea, Israel, Japan, Italy, Costa Rica, Germany, Belgium, and throughout
Scandinavia. One of Barbara’s most memorable trips was taking the scenic overland train ride
from Oslo to Bergen in Norway. In Bergen, she was able to explore the home of one of her
favorite composers: Edvard Grieg. If you listen to the music of Grieg, you can picture Barbara
sitting in a chair, on the edge of a fjord, listening to quiet melody of Norway drifting with the
breeze. Stoic and patient, Barbara enjoyed a quiet life in retirement. Her life-long love and
husband of 60 years, Duane passed away in 2018. Barbara continued to cherish her time with
family and relished the experiences she shared with her friends. Barbara and Duane are now
together again, surely engaged in passionate debates.
Barbara’s grace, dignity and tranquility will be missed by all that knew her.
The gift of her life will continue to live on in all who knew her and will endure in the music she
loved.
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