Died: Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Age: 93
Charles Herman Bur-meister, 93, died Feb. 26 at Laclede Groves Convalescent Home.
He was the son of Charles Martin and Dorothea Twillmann Burmeister of North St. Louis. Mr. Burmeister was the youngest brother of Alvin and Dorothy Burmeister. As a boy, he worked at his fathers Texaco station and garage, where he nurtured his lifelong appreciation for fine automobiles. Growing up at Markus Lutheran Church and attending Central High School, Mr. Burmeister was actively involved in the Walther League as a teen, where he developed his God-given talent as a singer and met Olivia Kuehnert.
Six weeks after their wedding, the attack on Pearl Harbor thrust Mr. Burmeister into his three-year stateside tour of duty in the Navy, where he illustrated training manuals as a commercial artist.
After the war, he was employed by the John S. Swift Co. printing company in St. Louis and Chicago as a salesman. He returned to St. Louis to direct U.S. operations for the Lutheran Laymens League.
A career shift into finance led him to work for investment firm Yates, Heitner & Woods, providing church financing.
Mr. Burmeister then became president of his own company, Communication Consultants, where he provided mortgage and finance counseling to nonprofit institutions.
He later worked as director of planned giving and development for the Lutheran Association for Higher Education, followed by director of development and communications for Missouri Goodwill Industries.
He believed in giving back to the community. Before 2000, Mr. Burmeister served on 27 boards and 21 committees. A Sunset Hills resident since 1959, he served on the Board of Adjustment from 1985 to 2003, including seven years as chairman.
Survivors include his daughters and sons-in-law, Judy and Harvey Hanneman, Jan Burmeister and Jill and Dave Johnson; and son and daughter-in-law, Dean and Barb Burmeister. Mr. Burmeister was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Olivia, and son, Don Burmeister.
A joint memorial service for Mr. and Mrs. Burmeister will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens, 8749 Watson Road.