Teams: Baseball: Press Releases

Friday, January 12, 2007

TUFTS MOURNS THE PASSING OF COACH KEVIN BURR

MEDFORD -- Tufts lost a dear friend and colleague last Saturday (Jan. 6) when Coach Kevin Burr, 54, an assistant on the baseball team, passed away in Orlando while he was attending the Baseball Coaches convention.

"Those who knew him realize what a kind person he was," Jumbo baseball coach John Casey said. "Kevin loved coaching Tufts kids and his son, Michael, swam for Coach Megerle."

He was the husband for 29 years and best friend of Wendy (Sherman) Burr. Born at Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick, he was a son of Herbert and Rose (Mezzanotte) Burr of Medfield.

He was educated in the Medfield Public Schools, graduating with honors from the Class of 1970. He received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, his master of arts degree at Cambridge College and had been a math teacher for 32 years at Franklin Junior High and Franklin High School.

He was the current assistant baseball coach at Tufts University and served for many years as head baseball coach at Dean College, as well as assistant varsity baseball coach at Franklin and Medway High Schools. For more than 30 years, Mr. Burr coached numerous summer baseball camps throughout New England. He was a born athlete and excelled in football and swimming as well as baseball. In addition to his love for baseball and the Boston Red Sox, he had a love of football and the New England Patriots. He was a member of the Medfield High School 1969 Tri-Valley League Championship Football Team and former assistant football coach at Bellingham, Medway and Foxboro high schools.

At last year's History of Sports Program at Medfield High School, the co-captain of the 1969 football team, Gerry Finn, said of Mr. Burr: "I was once asked who was the toughest person I knew in football in high school. Without even stopping to think of all the great players, the toughest was Kevin Burr. Kevin never got the headlines. But as back-up quarterback he had the task of running the opponent's plays in practice to help us learn their tendencies and help his team win."

Burr made friends wherever he went and prided himself on helping people. In spite of a busy summer baseball schedule, he and Wendy and his family escaped every summer to a cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

As a teacher at Franklin High School he taught all aspects of math to grades eight to 12 over the past 32 years.

His love of family, his relationship with Wendy and his children and his genuine friendship with so many people was truly what he was all about.

Besides his wife and parents, he leaves two sons, Michael and David Burr; brothers Thomas Burr and his wife, Chris, of Wallingford, Conn., Richard Burr and his wife, Sarah, of Natick; a sister, Janet Martini and her husband, Robert, of Billerica; aunts and uncles; and many nephews and nieces.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Tuesday, Jan. 9, at St. Edward the Confessor Church in Medfield. A memorial service was held Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Roberts-Mitchell Funeral Chapel in St., Medfield. Burial followed at the Sharon Memorial Park in Sharon.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 20 Speen Street, Framingham, MA 01701.

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