BURGER, Betty M.

BURGER, HEDRICK, MARK, HIRSCHLER, WINBORN, BURNEY, RIDNOUER, BERNARD, WILSON

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 5/26/2007 at 13:59:38

"The Fairfield Ledger", Tuesday, April 17. 2007, Page 8

Betty M. BURGER -- Betty M. BURGER, 86, of Springfield, Va., died of cancer Saturday, April 14, 2007, at the Capital Hospice.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Messiah United Methodist Church in Springfield, Va. Inurnment will take place this summer in Knoxville.

A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Capital Hospice, 4715 N. 15th St., Arlington, VA 22205 or Messiah United Methodist Church.

Mrs. BURGER was born in 1920 in Attica, the daughter of Dewey and Hazel HEDRICK MARK. She married John H. BURGER, who preceded her in death.

Mrs. BURGER grew up in Knoxville and lived there until 1955 when she and her husband moved to Fairfield. She was a legal secretary in Knoxville and worked at Iowa State Bank and Trust in Fairfield for a number of years before moving to Virginia in 1967. From 1974 until her death, she was the chief caseworker for U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Her Capitol Hill career began with U.S. Congressman Fred Schwengel from Iowa, followed by two years with U.S. Congressman Bob Hanrahan from Illinois.

During a memorial tribute to Mrs. BURGER Monday on the Senate floor, Grassley said, "Mr. President, today I pay tribute to Betty BURGER, a remarkable public servant and extraordinarily devoted congressional staffer.

"It is fitting that Betty's loved ones kept vigil at her bedside. For nearly 40 years, Better (sic) BURGER kept vigil for the people of Iowa. ... As my chief caseworker, Betty earned a lifetime of experience on the job mastering the ins and outs of the Federal bureaucracy. Her countless contacts within Federal agencies put a face on the so-called faceless bureaucracy. No one knew how to cut through redtape more swiftly and surely. ... Most of Iowa's 2.9 million resident didn't know Betty BURGER personally, but I want them to understand how this dedicated public servant made a difference for Iowans. Betty did her job for them with remarkable efficiency, tenacity, and integrity."

Mrs. BURGER served as vice chairwoman of the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee in 1962 and was alternate delegate to the 15th Biennial Convention of the National Federation of Republican Women in Washington, D.C. in 1969. She was a member of the Republican Women of Capitol Hill and of Messiah United Methodist Church in Springfield, Va.

Survivors include one son William H. BURGER and wife Celia of Iowa City; three daughters, Barbara HIRSCHLER and husband Phil of Fairfield, Carol WINBORN and husband Erik of Fairfax Station, Va., and Terri BURNEY and husband Kenny of Burke, Va.; two sisters, Barbara RIDNOUER of Knoxville and Dorothy BERNARD of San Antonio, Texas; and one brother, Robert MARK of Roseville, Calif.; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents and two siblings, Dewey MARK Jr. and Marilyn WILSON.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

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