Gwendolyn H. Burgee Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

BURGEE, Gwendolyn H. Gwendolyn Burgee passed away peacefully March 12, 2022 at home with her family at her bedside. Gwen was born Jan 17, 1933 in Chicago, Ill. to Margaret C. and Arthur W. Heinson. She lived in Montecito and Santa Barbara relocating from New York in 1999 where she lived in Bronxville and Manhattan since 1967. Gwen attended high school in Chicago and graduated from Barat College of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Illinois and earned a Secondary Teaching Certificate. She was employed briefly at Dun and Bradstreet in Chicago and taught at Lake Zurich School and Evanston Public Schools in Illinois. Throughout her life Gwen volunteered for many charitable and artistic organizations. She served as a Gray Lady (patient advocate) in the American Red Cross at Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Illinois. She was Vice President and nursery volunteer for St. Vincent Orphanage and served on the board of Northside Boys Clubs in Chicago. In Bronxville New York she was a member of the Junior League and a member of their Songpipers choral group. She also was Chair of the Westchester County Adoption Service and served on committees or the Bronxville Library and Schools. On Moving to Manhattan Gwen volunteered on committees for the New York Botanical Garden and served for several years in the Education Department of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the Met she conducted tours for visitors and students of the Pre-Columbian, African, and 20th Century collections and assisted in the mounting of the Van Gogh Special Exhibition. Coming to Santa Barbara in 1999 Gwen became a board member of the Architectural Foundation and led their architectural walking tours for several years. She was also active in the Santa Barbara Junior League, the Santa Barbara Historical Society, the Santa Barbara Braille Institute, and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Music Academy of the West. Gwen is survived by her husband of 65 years, John H. Burgee; son John G. and grandchildren, Laura Burgee Soran (Cameron), Kevin, Brendan, and three great-grandchildren. There will be a funeral Mass on Tuesday March 22 at 10am at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Montecito with internment to follow at Santa Barbara Cemetery. Arrangements being made by Welch-Ryce-Haider Funeral Chapels.

Gwendolyn H. Burgee

January 17, 1933 - March 12, 2022