David Richard Burley

Born in Crooksville Ohio, on November 1, 1942, to the late Forest and Mary Helene (nee: Pinnick) Burley, David was the youngest child of four. The son of a schoolteacher, with three older brothers to catch up to, David would grow up to be a driven, smart and precocious child. After almost blowing up his mother's kitchen many times, he would go on to graduate from Ohio State with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry a doctorate degree in physical chemistry from University of California, Riverside, and an MBA from Rider University. He then completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Wales, Swansea, where he and his wife Diane would make many lifelong friends. He spent the bulk of his corporate career at American Cyanamid in Wayne, New Jersey, as a chemist and business development manager. lf you have ever installed tile on a wall, the reason your tile stays in place is due to David who developed the compound change to make that possible, just one of his many achievements as an industrial chemist. With Chemistry in his bones, there was always a project or experiment bubbling on David's Bunsen Burner. Whether it be small batch milk pasturization or brewing craft beers, there was always something he had his eye on changing or improving. David was a man of fine culinary tastes. His career and his appetite for knowledge drove him to travel the world where he voraciously added to his cultural and gastronomic knowledge and his rolodex of international friends and associates. His passion for making wine resulted in David winning numerous gold medal awards in international wine making competitions for a variety of his wines. He cultivated his own vineyard and imported grapes from California in his drive for perfection. His beer making prowess and expertise earned him the affectionate and concise title of Brewmaster. David was a consummate host and a willing and generous friend to all who knew him. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather. His sage advice and infinite knowledge will be sorely missed.
Left behind to mourn his passing are his beloved wife of 53 years, Diane (nee: Hay) Burley; his daughter and her husband, Carol Burley and Michael Lancaster; his son and daughter-in-law, Daniel Burley and Betsy Noth; his only surviving brother, Don Burley and his wife Donna Burley and his grandchildren, Abigail, Samuel and Jacob Lancaster and Nunzio and Minerva Burley. Welcoming David into his eternal home are his parents and his brothers, Rev. William Burley and James Burley.
The Burley family will welcome visits from family and friends 2:00-4:00 PM on Sunday, October 20 at Goebel Funeral Home, 36 N. Buckeye St, Crooksville. Funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM, Monday, October 21 at First Hope United Methodist Church, 102 N. Buckeye St., Crooksville with Rev. Gay E. Blau as
celebrant. David will be laid to rest next to family in Crooksville Cemetery.
Contributions may be made in David's memory to American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Alliance of Perry County, or to the First Hope United Methodist Church. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.