Earl William Burch
formerly of Washington
Earl William Burch, 87, of San Diego, Calif., died Tuesday, February 14, 2023, in the Fannies Abode Board and Memory Care facility. He was born November 3, 1935, in Washington, to Nelson and Maud Burch, the eighth child of 12 siblings and the youngest of two boys.
Earl graduated from Washington High School in 1953. Upon graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). He received the National Defense Award Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal, and was honorably discharged as a corporal July 9, 1957. As a marine he was stern, regimented, and demanded respect. He expected order always, no clutter, no mess, and nothing was ever out of place!
Earl briefly attended Youngstown University, and transferred to Howard University in Washington, DC, where he graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts.
After college, Earl remained in the Washington, DC area as a Maryland resident and then a Virginia resident. He worked for the Department of State in the 1960s. There he met his first wife, Patricia, and they married in 1966. Together they had one child, Kia T.
Earl worked as a civil service employee for the U.S. Department of Defense and retired after 31 years from the Department of Navy April 1, 1988.
Earl relocated to Lady Lake, Fla. (now known as The Villages) in 1995, where he resided until January 2019.
His hobbies included playing golf, watching Tiger Woods play, playing cards and he was a tremendous pool player. He was also one of the founding members of The African American Club in The Villages, Fla.
Earl’s favorite color was blue. His favorite athlete was Tiger Woods. His favorite NFL team was the Pittsburgh Steelers. His favorite college football team was the University of Michigan, where his nephew, DeWayne Patmon, attended and played football.
Earl relocated to San Diego in January 2019 to live with his sister, Barbara Singleterry. Due to lingering health problems, he was moved to Fannies Abode Board and Memory Care facility until his death February 14, 2023.
Earl was preceded in death by his parents, Nelson and Maud Burch; siblings, Harold Burch, Dorothy Allen, Thelma Seabrook, Mary Burch, Louise Thomas, Betty Jean Brown, Joan Howard and Nancy Reeves; nephews and nieces, Roselle Burch, Michael Seabrook, Charles Patmon, Jr, Chad Patmon, Tara Seabrook Bilal and Elva Jean Brown.
Earl is survived by his only child and daughter, Kia T. Terrell (Antoine D. Terrell) of Greenbelt, Md.; siblings, Barbara Singleterry of San Diego, Joyce Patmon (Charles Patmon) of Murrieta, Calif., Sheilan Harris of St. Louis, Mo.; his brother-in-law, Marvin Reeves of Lewisburg; and a host of nieces, nephews, other family and friends.
Friends will be received from 10 to 11 a.m., the time of a funeral service, Wednesday, March 15, in the Journey of Life Funeral Home, 121 Ridge Avenue, Washington. Interment is at 2 p.m. at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville.
Condolences may be submitted through www.journeyoflifefh.com.