James M. Burt
June 20,1933 September 19, 2015
James M. Burt (Jim) passed peacefully at home on September 19, 2015 surrounded and embraced by family. He was a successful businessman, a loyal friend, a proud grandfather and great-grandfather, a devoted dad, and loving husband to his wife of 61 years, Lynne.
Jim was born on June 20, 1933 in Los Angeles, California, to Earl and Sara Burt. With his older brother Don, Jim’s childhood revolved around sports and helping his mother recover from polio. An accomplished athlete and student body leader in high school, Jim chose to continue his education and interests at Occidental College in Los Angeles where he was an accomplished student athlete and leader in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Jim’s passion was baseball and stories of his years playing for the Oxy Tigers were always entertaining. A career .336 clean-up hitter and solid defensive 3rd baseman on three championship teams (’52, ’53, and ’54), twice chosen All-SCIAC, and with his clutch hitting in ’54, led one of Oxy’s greatest teams to an undefeated league title, becoming the only four straight championship squads in Oxy history. His teammate describes the huddle on the mound before each game, a time of prayer for their “best effort”. Jim’s induction into the Occidental College Baseball Hall of Fame was a proud moment.
Jim met his beautiful bride, Lynne, at Occidental College. They married on June 18, 1954 in a small, intimate ceremony. Jim’s plans for a teaching and coaching career changed when he joined the Marine Corps in May 1955 as a Second Lieutenant stationed in Quantico, Virginia. A proud American, his experiences in the service of his country had a lasting impact on him. A master at telling stories as a way to teach and guide, Jim’s tales of military training provided the basis for many life lessons shared with his girls and his grandchildren. Most importantly, he lived the values of honor, courage, integrity and commitment.
After leaving the service in 1958 Jim began a long, successful career in the food industry. Beginning in sales and marketing, followed by promotions through management positions with large consumer products companies, Jim’s career culminated in the purchase and subsequent growth of Best Express Foods, Inc. The bakery’s tortilla chips and Lynne’s black bean salsa became food staples in their home for decades.
With the girls grown and business thriving, Jim and Lynne traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, visiting every country they wanted to experience. They shared a love for golf and Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club in Palo Alto became a place to be with friends and family. Until his illness Jim played most Saturday mornings despite ongoing frustrations with his short game.
Jim had a deep, quiet faith. He believed in the goodness of every person he met and treated everyone with respect. He believed God is ever-present and that Heaven is the final destination. His family celebrates his homecoming.
Jim is survived by his wife, Lynne and their four daughters: Kathy Burt, Karen Sullivan, Peggy Kenney and her husband Pat, and Laurie Burt. His grandchildren brought him so much joy: Tom Logan, Matt Logan and Amy Logan; Caitlin Sullivan and Patrick Sullivan; Michael Kenney and his wife Courtnay, Kaley Kenney, and Christopher Kenney; Cole Ashby, Connor Ashby, and Rachel Ashby. Jim was blessed by the arrival one year ago of his great-grandchild, James Jack Kenney (JJ).
A celebration of Jim’s life will be held Thursday, October 8, 2:00 p.m. at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park, California, 94025. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org to support their contributions to melanoma research.