Our beloved, Cathy Lynn Burge, at the age of 73, passed away peacefully on the morning of Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024, in Warsaw, Missouri. In her final days and moments, Cathy was surrounded by her loving family, in her lake house, overlooking the sparkling waters of the Lake of the Ozarks and the beautiful Fall trees covered crimson, gold and amber leaves.
Born on September 27, 1951 in Kansas City, Missouri, Cathy is survived by her loving husband of 52 years, Michael “Mike” F. Burge. Cathy married Mike on June 3, 1972. Together they had an adoring daughter, Michelle Bryant and two cherished grandsons Hendrix Bryant and Dylan Bryant.
Cathy was predeceased by her parents, Dolores June Valentine and Ernest L. Williams and her late brother, Charles Williams. She is survived by her loving sister Christina “Tina” Thayer and brother Ernest “Chris” Williams, as well as many nephews, nieces and cousins she loved dearly. Cathy grew up and lived most of her life in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from Oak Park High School and attended Denver Business College. She spent many years in working in retail and retired from Harley Davidson in Spring of 2016.
After she retired, Cathy moved permanently to her gorgeous lake house in Warsaw, Missouri in 2017. There you could find her sitting on her big front porch, coffee in hand, enjoying the beautiful view of the lake and the surrounding acres, watching the squirrels and hummingbirds and listening to the birds. During fishing season, Cathy would go out in her little fishing boat or sit down on her dock to reel in the big one. Cathy was a dedicated fisherman and loved Bass and Crappie fishing. She always had some sort of long term contest with her family on who could catch the biggest one and loved to fry up some catfish for those who visited.
One of Cathy’s greatest loves was having her family and friends down to her lovely lake house to enjoy the good life. Everyone was always welcome to come and visit. Then relax on the front porch and to enjoy the many lake like pursuits like fishing, swimming, boating, tubing, water skiing, hiking, four wheeling and campfires. She always spoke about how the lake was a happy place and she loved giving that joy to others. Every summer weekend was filled with family and friends. Even her grandsons would visit for a few weeks every summer, where she then taught them how to fish and drive four wheelers. Every Fourth of July, she would host a huge celebration at the lake for everyone with a stunning fireworks display, that would reflect off the lake and light up the big midwest sky.
A few times a year, Cathy would visit her daughter and grandsons down in Austin, Texas. There, she would watch her grandsons play sports, celebrate birthdays and make an abundant of holiday memories. She adored her grandsons and always cheered on their triumphs and laughed hard at their charming and spirited stories of the everyday.
Whenever life was a little too quiet and a little too slow at the lake, Cathy would take a quick escapade to the casinos to try out her luck at winning the jackpot. She felt life was a game and she always played to win. Even in her last weeks and days, she persuaded any of her loved ones who would take her, for one last “Thrill of a Win”.
“You can’t expect to hit the jackpot if you don’t put a few quarters into the machine.”
Cathy cherished her family most of all and she wanted everyone to enjoy life to the fullest. She will be deeply missed by family and friends and will forever reside in our hearts and memories. We are the most thankful she is no longer suffering from her battle with lung cancer and is finally pain-free and at peace.
A Celebration of Life will be held at her lake house, on the Lake of the Ozarks, at the waters edge in the Summer of 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the American Cancer Society.
