Times Leader
Princeton, Ky.
Dec. 28, 2005

Rev. William R. “Bill” Burgess Sr., 74, of Princeton, died Thursday, Dec. 22, 2005, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Allentown, Pa.

Born April 21, 1931, in Elizabeth City, N.C., the only child of the late Edna and Gordon Burgess, he graduated from Oak Ridge Military Institute in North Carolina, May 30, 1949, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1949 until 1969, when he was placed on retainer until 1979. He served aboard many types of vessels including fast attack submarines and was a veteran of the Korean War. Upon leaving the military, he joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Orlando, Fla., as a deputy, motorcycle officer, detective and became the department’s first accredited arson investigator. Later he was employed with the State of Florida as a full-time arson investigator, where he worked until he retired.
Following the law enforcement career, he pursued wood working and opened his own business, with many of his works still in homes and businesses across central Florida. In 1988, he and his family moved to Princeton where he continued to contribute his woodworking skills across western Kentucky from the courthouse in Madisonville to the campus of Murray State University.

He studied at Temple Bible College and received a degree in theology on Aug. 31, 1987, in Orlando, Fla. On June 4, 2003, he was ordained a minister of the gospel at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Madisonville where he served as associate pastor.

He was preceded in death by a son, James Lee Burgess; and a daughter, Marilyn A. Burgess.

Survivors include his wife, Claudia; a son, William R. Burgess Jr. of Allentown, Pa.; two stepdaughters, Patricia Peck of Delaware and Cindy Ray of Princeton; two stepsons, Jeff Pilcher of Alaska and Ken Pilcher of Texas; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2006, at 11 a.m. at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Madisonville, officiated by the Rev. Kellan Lamb.

Expressions of sympathy for Rev. Burgess may take the form of contributions to The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., P.O. Box 908, Bellmawr, N.J. 08099, or Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., Box 12268, Dallas, Texas 75225-0268.