UPDATED: Following the funeral of Ella Mary Burdge, the 30-year Crossing Guard laid to rest yesterday, her children, Richard, Kenneth and Patricia, submitted the following statements to TLS thanking the community for their show of support:
Richard:
“Thank you all for the kind comments. My mom was so proud of her job and loved all the kids. They were also the love of her life. She could not wait to go to work each and every day. The outpouring of the love the community has shown to her and our family has truly touched our hearts.”
Kenneth:
“I would like to thank everyone for their kind and thoughtful comments about my mom. For those of you who knew her, you knew she was a special lady. As my brother stated, she loved her job and the children on “The Hill” (6th & Forest) as if they were her own. The support and caring from her neighbors and community will always be held in our hearts.”
Patricia Vandezilver:
“I would like to take this moment to thank everyone for their kind and thoughtful comments about my Mom, Ella Mary Burdge. My brothers and I were very lucky to have her as our Mom and our best friend. She was an absolutely beautiful person, inside and out. I have been contacted by numerous people, and have realized she has touched many more lives than I realized. I am blessed to know she was loved by so many people. She loved her crossing guard position, and spoke kindly of all the children and adults that she crossed during her career. She will be truly missed by all.”
she was not only loved, she was also respected, and that is saying a lot for the students who used the 6th st.”hill” crossing,
great women she was
I lived on the “hill” 28 years ago and she would be so kind to us and our children, who she knew by name, when we walked them to the babysitter. Occasionally, she would say to me “Where were you this morning?”, meaning that she kept track of if and when i missed Davening Shacharis in Yeshiva and didnt see me come home from Davening at the usual time. A special lady!
i miss her already
wish there were more kind people in this town like her
i miss her very much! what a kind and pleasant woman
She was a great person. She cared for everybody.
My daughter came home from Bais Faiga with a valuable lesson learned. She was not one of those who was crossed by your Mom but she was one of those Bais Faiga students who stood in solidarity and respect as the funeral passed.
The lesson learned was appreciation to someone who has given of themself to the community prior to even their exisitance.
SHE CROSSED ALOT OF MY CHILDREN.WHEN MY SON GOT ENGAGED SHE WAS SO EXCITED.THAT WAS BEFORE SHE FOUND OUT THAT THE KALLAH WAS FROM THE HOUSE 2 HOUSES OFF “THE HILL”SHE WAS SO EXCITED AS IF IT WAS HER OWN CHILDREN.SHE WAS A WONDERFUL PERSON
is kenneth a lakewood police officer?
Richard & Kenneth. Your mother was truly a special woman. Her intersection was probably the busiest and hardest pedestrian intersection in town at that time. There were 3 schools, the Talmudic College & multiple synogages all within a 1.5 block radius & to top it all off it was situated on a hill. Your average person’s stress level would have been pretty high doing that job, while for your mother it was truly a joy, as it was expressed in her happy & cheerful disposition. We really appreciate the wonderful job she did for the community & may she rest in peace.
The one to thank is one of the Bais Faiga secretaries – for arranging that the girls should attend the funeral.
Dov schreiber thanks for the coMment! Great guy!!he’s one of the founders of the shtut !
I regret to see what you are going thru 241 LPD
241 LPD, I regret to see what you are going thru