By Deborah Larsen
Robert James Burr
Robert James Burr was born in Utica, Michigan, on October 3, 1924, the son of Clarence and Mabel DeCormier Burr. Robert grew up in Rochester, Michigan, and attended Rochester High School, receiving his diploma in 1946 after returning from military service. His family lived on Castell Street.
In November 1942, Robert entered the U.S. Army. After training in Aberdeen, Maryland, he was assigned to the 3298th Ordnance Base Depot and stationed in Calcutta, India, and then in China. Robert wrote home to his parents that the food in China was good and the weather favorable, but inflation was running at a rate of 800 to 1 and a soldier had to carry around “a roll of Chinese money big enough to choke a cow,” just to purchase small items like cigarettes or eggs. Robert was released from military service in January 1946.
After the war, Robert married and earned a degree from Central Michigan University.
Robert James Burr died at age 84 on March 2, 2009.