Carol Sue Burger
Oct. 1, 1939-June 18, 2021
Los Altos, California

Memorial Profile for Carol Sue Burger

She was an extremely loyal friend, an avid bridge player and a wonderful cook. She was a dedicated educator and a discerning intellectual. She loved reading books of all types and shared her favorites freely with others. She felt it was her civic duty to register voters, regardless of party affiliation, and she did so for decades. She had the uncanny ability to remain calm in the face of adversity and emergency situations.

Her joy of cooking paired well with her love for entertaining; she was a gracious hostess.

She also held a deep appreciation and respect for the natural environment in all its translations.

In her 30’s, you could find her downhill skiing on the slopes at Tahoe and in later years, sailing on the San Francisco Bay in heavy air. Gutsy!

When she wasn’t on the slopes or heeling to wind-ward she was drawn to high quality fine art and contemporary craft fairs; her home showed a wide-ranging eye.

In later years, she loved her pool time, a steady way to exercise and soothe her spirit.

It was not uncommon to find her waking in the early morning hours to watch England’s Premier Futbol matches, rooting for Chelsea or Manchester United. She was also an experienced viewer of American football, commenting on play and quite willing to answer questions.

Although sometimes quite frugal, she splurged on wonderful travel adventures -- most noteworthy washer much-desired trip to Beijing, a delightful trip to Paris and more recently, a grand, scenic river cruise along the Rhine to view ancient castles and cathedrals.

Yet let’s not forget her early side trip from Boulder, Colorado (where she finished a summer study program) to Santa Fe, New Mexico or her vacay in Mazatlan (where rum-based Green Frogs were consumed with reasoned abandon).

What is the backstory of this wonderful person? She grew up in Cincinnati Ohio, the daughter of Charlies and Miriam Burger, two warm-hearted, loving people. After graduating from the University of Ohio in the Sciences (once a Buckeye always a Buckeye), she obtained a Master’s of Science degree in Human Biology at Harvard and then found her way to California to teach the Sciences at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto: Biology, Geology, Chemistry.

In the late 60’s, she enjoyed a summer teaching opportunity at Punahou, a private college prep K-12 school in Honolulu, Hawaii.

About the time Cubberley closed in ’79, she retired from teaching and obtained her MBA in Marketing from Santa Clara University whereupon she embarked on her second career as a Market Research Consultant which she found most satisfying.

Throughout all her years in the Bay Area, she developed long-lasting friendships with many; these friends became her family. Some of her wonderful teacher-friends created an informal “Breakfast Club” which has met frequently for over 30 years.

She also enjoyed her Bridge Club where she would often report out on how well she played which hinted at a competitive spirit.

Who was this lovely lady? She was our dear friend, Carol Sue Burger (October 1, 1939 – June 18, 2021)

Tags: teacher/educator