Yerbury G. Burnham, 86, of Vero Beach, passed away on Dec. 2, 2014, at Indian River Estates in Vero Beach.
He is survived by his wife Jan, a sister-in-law Anne Burnham, a niece Deborah Hinckley Berghorst, and a nephew Allen Carter Hinckley and their families.
He was preceded in death by his sister Betty Burnham Hinckley and his brother, Beverley Burnham.
Burnham was born March 8, 1928, in Montclair, N.J., the son of Mr. Beverley Burnham and Mrs. Lilian Hooper Burnham. He attended Montclair Academy and graduated in 1946 from Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn.
He earned his Electrical Engineering Degree from Virginia Military Institute in 1950 and his MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1965.
Burnham served in the U.S. Army for two years in Germany, during the Korean War. He worked at Chemical Bank in New York for 23 years, and for 13 years as Senior Vice President of Union Trust Bank in Danbury, Conn.
He was a member of the Montclair Golf Club and the Montclair Ski Club, driving most winter weekends to Mad River Glen, Vt., to ski. After moving to Ridgefield, Conn., he joined the Ridgewood Country Club in Danbury, Conn.
He was an active volunteer, Chairman of the Danbury Chamber of Commerce, and sat on many Boards. After retiring in 1985, he spent two years raising funds for Danbury Hospital. In 1980 he received a proclamation from the City of Danbury for his community service. In 1983, Burnham was the recipient of the Abraham Ribicoff Community Service Award from Western Connecticut State College.
In 1979, Burnham married Janice Cassel Finegan from Dobb’s Ferry and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. They belonged to Mink Meadows and Farm Neck Golf Clubs in Martha’s Vineyard, and lived in Ridgefield, Conn.
In 1987, they moved to Keowee Key in Salem, S.C., a golfing retirement community, and also joined Cross Creek Golf Course. While in South Carolina, Burnham expertly carved and painted more than 100 songbirds; 85 were Carolina Wrens which he gave to family, friends, and to worthy causes for auction.
In 2001, Burnham and Jan moved to Vero Beach where he was a member of St. Augustine Episcopal Church, serving as Usher and Host.
There will be a Memorial Service on Dec. 26 at 11 a.m. in the Indian River Estates Chapel in Vero Beach.
