Pervis C. Burcham Jr.

Pervis (Junior) Burcham of Bel Air, MD passed away on March 24, 2019 at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. He was 90 years old. Born in Fountain Green, MD in 1928, the son of the late Pervis and Helen Burcham. He graduated from Bel Air High School In 1945. He was an excellent athlete playing baseball, basketball, and soccer for BHS and coached by Pop Wagner. After graduating from BHS he played baseball on the American Legion Team coached by Joe Endslow, as well as the Churchville baseball team coached by Mr. Wilmouth. He also played softball in the Bel Air league at night under the lights at Bel Air High School diamond on Gordon Street. Mr. Burcham had a varied career working in dairy farming with his father in Hopewell and later in Dublin until his father’s death in 1956. He continued the farming operation until 1962 when a heart attack forced a change in his career. He was then employed at the Army Chemical Center (later to be called Edgewood Arsenal) and attended college at night while farming part time. He graduated in 1968 with a certificate in data processing. He then was employed at the Nuclear Defense Laboratory until 1968 when he was transferred to the Ballistics Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, where he participated in the development of the first automated accounting system for government property in this laboratory. He managed that system until transferring to the Army National Guard Bureau with headquarters in the Pentagon, as a supervisory systems analyst. At this assignment he developed and maintained automated logistics systems for use at the United States Property and Physical Office (USPFO). During this employment, he traveled extensively throughout the United States and Puerto Rico to all USPFOs. He was the Director of the Professional Education Center, Camp Robinson in Little Rock Arkansas where he taught software applications on use of computers at the USPFOs. Mr. Burcham received many outstanding performance appraisals and quality step increases for exceptional performance during his thirty-two plus years in government service. He retired from the Department of the Army in 1989.

The family said he enjoyed farming and was capable of accomplishing most repairs and performing maintenance at his farm and rental properties. Pervis served as an election judge in district 05-01 for many years. He enjoyed listening to big band and jazz music, loved ballroom dancing and jitterbugging with his wife, before her death in 2010. He was active in the Gadabouts and attended Dublin and Mount Vernon Methodist Churches. He loved and was extremely proud of his grandchildren and great grandchildren and enjoyed the family get togethers. He was vice president of the Dublin PTA and chaired the building committee in the 1960s, which was responsible for the first addition to the Dublin School. Later served on a second committee when the school became overcrowded and requested another addition to the school.

Mr. Burcham is survived by six children; Edward and wife, Susan Heaps Burcham of KY, David and significant other, Melissa Stanley of Cecil County, Richard and wife, Betty Winskowski Burcham of Forest Hill, Sara Testerman and husband, Jeff Testerman of Forest Hill, Samuel and wife, Jean Gegorek Burcham of Baltimore, and James and wife, Betsy Capo Burcham of Baltimore. He also leaves 12 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Adelene Burcham Schillinger of Louisiana.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Dublin United Methodist Church, 1528 Whiteford Road, Street, MD 21154 or Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, 1510 Deep Run Road, Whiteford, MD 21160.

Pallbearers will be; Douglas Testerman, Richie Burcham, Cara Blubaugh, Carrie Burcham, Karl Kress, Erika Farris, Katie Glasshoff, and James Burcham.