David was one of the seven grandchildren of John Emil and Emma Elizabeth Burge who raised their family in Sarnia, Ontario mostly at the family home on the corner of Christina and Nelson. David was the second son of their second child, Roy Burge and his wife Madalynne. 'Papa' and 'Mimi' as we grandchildren called them always welcomed family home. Of the seven grandchildren the 3 oldest were boys and the 4 younger ones were girls. I am the second youngest granddaughter, the only child of Uncle Roy's sister 'Mid' and her husband Ken Van Horne. Because I had no siblings my cousins became them for me. By the time I came along my male cousins were in their teens so for me they were grown ups. Young and exciting grown ups I might add, at least for a young impressionable girl. I was blessed to grow up in that family home on the corner and the extra special part was I never missed being there when those young men visited. At first on their own and later with wives and with their children. I also got to hear the wonderful letters and notes that were sent to that home.
One special memory that David and I had, that in telephone conversations we often reminisced about, was the summer he worked as a border crossing guard on the Bluewater Bridge. He lived at the family home while he was working there. When he worked nights and would come home late, he and my Mom (who was a night hawk) would visit into the early morning hours talking about books, music and interests. According to him it was my Mom who got him to memorize the old tune 'It's only a Shanty', which apparently was a great song to get people singing. Music was something that many of us caught onto while young and certainly Mimi's family was very musical. The family piano often was the main feature of times together and I never tired of hearing my cousins David and John Paul sit down and play. Aunt Evelyn was no slouch either.
I know that if Mimi and Papa were here today they would be so pleased with their grandson David, his children, grandchildren and the possibilities of his precious little great grandchildren. What a rich and blessed heritage David has left.
