Russel Henry BURG

Russel Henry Burg passed away on January 5, 2014 after a short illness after living a long full life. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to John and Ada Burg on April 20, 1915 he grew up with three brothers and three sisters in a number of homes that were constructed by his father and as time went by also with help of the brothers. Their home on Griggs Street included a basement hand excavated by Russ and his older brother Lawrence He worked in various furniture industry jobs in the city as a young man, having left high school early to help support the family during the depression. He learned many skills which would serve him well for much of the rest of his life including the art of upholstery. The coming of world war II brought him into the military as a member of the Army Air Corp. First stationed in Florida as a military policeman, and later shipped to Duxford air base in England where he served in the base's fire and rescue unit that was assigned to saving pilots, and crews from planes that crash landed with extensive damage from enemy attack. Russ was a lifetime member of VFW post 2502 in South Lyon, MI., and became their oldest living member. In his final years he greatly enjoyed the company of vets at VFW post 822 in Grand Blanc Township, MI. After the war he returned to Michigan and lived in Detroit where his older brother Lawrence had already established himself as an upholster. Russ found work in a large upholstery shop with his brother where he met Mildred, who would become his wife of 62 years. Together they started their own business, with Mildred doing the cutting and sewing while Russ did the repair of furniture, and upholstery. At first working from their garage with a rental trailer they eventually opened a storefront and bought a pickup truck, then later a panel van. They named the business Schoolcraft Decorating after the street on which it was located. By the mid-1960's the business, where they first met and they had worked together became available for sale, and they purchased it. This enlarged the operation many fold and at one point they had nearly 50 employees. A conscious effort was made to reduce its size to a more manageable level, and eventually both of the stores were relocated into a single building. Russ worked at his trade well into his mid-70's, and was known as the "best upholster in Detroit" by many peers, a fact related to his son by a number of people over the years. Russ was a man of many interests. He was a close follower of the Detroit Red Wings and Tigers, as had been his father, and now his son and grandson. He attended his last Red Wings game at the age of 95 with his son. Beside sports he appreciated music, especially world war II era big bands. Artie Shaw, and Harry James were favorites of his. In the late 1950's he followed the Russian and US space race closely, and even built his own telescope to watch satellites pass in the summer sky. He was preceded in death by his parents John, and Ada Burg; two brothers, Richard and Lawrence, a sister, Pearl, and his wife Mildred. One other brother died at birth. He is survived by his , sister's Genevieve, and Marion, brother John, and son Richard, and three grand children, and four great grand children. Services will be held 11 AM Monday, January 13, 2014 at Sharp Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 6063 Fenton Rd., Flint.

Funeral Service

Monday, January 13, 2014 11:00 AM
Sharp Funeral Home & Cremation Center
6063 Fenton Road Flint 48507, United States