Richard Burdick, 84, Minot, died Thursday, May 4, 2023, in a Minot Hospital.
Richard William “RW” Burdick was born on June 15, 1938, to S.M. and Eleanor (Satterlee) Burdick in Fargo, ND. He was raised and educated in Grand Forks, where he graduated from Central High School in 1956. RW attended the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, ND where he earned an Associate Degree of Automotive Mechanics. RW was ready to lease his own service station, but instead received his draft card. On September 1, 1961, RW enlisted into the United States Air Force to serve his Country and turned it into a career of which he was very proud. RW served 2 tours in the Vietnam War.
Shortly after enlisting, RW married Caroline Yanish and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Victoria. During that time, they lived in Montana and Grand Forks. They divorced in 1973.
On March 12, 1976, RW was united in marriage to Lana Huber in Minot and adopted her son Mike. They made their home in Minot, where RW was stationed at the Minot Air Force Base, and had a daughter, Jennifer. He retired from the Air Force on September 1, 1984, after 23 years of service as a Master Sergeant. Following his retirement, RW furthered his education by attending Minot State University, earning a degree in History, Secondary Education and Political Science.
RW began working at Wal-Mart as an associate, a career he thoroughly enjoyed, and retired after 25 years. In addition, he worked with area students as a tutor. In his retirement years, he and Lana enjoyed traveling around the United States. He was an excellent artist, musician, and mechanic. He will be missed by all that knew him.
Richard was preceded in death by an infant brother, William; his niece, Nancy Kinzler; his parents; an infant granddaughter, Shelby Johnson; and his wife of 45 years, Lana.
Graveside Service with military honors: Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 3 pm at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, ND. The service will be videotaped and uploaded to the link provided on RW’s web page at www.thompsonlarson.com
