Obituary

Deacon Burbach was a strong family man, supporter of Catholic education Catholic Voice

Deacon Bernard Burbach, whose ministry focused on serving the sick and elderly, died Sept. 29 in Osmond. He was 86.

A funeral Mass was held Oct. 4 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Neligh, with burial at St. Michael Cemetery in Hartington.

A native of Hartington, Deacon Burbach graduated in 1953 from Holy Trinity (now Cedar Catholic) High School in Hartington. He attended Creighton University in Omaha before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1957.

After his discharge in 1959, he and his wife, Helen, were married in Hartington and he began a career, which included agriculture, sales and financial planning. 

He was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan in 1979 and served his parish, St. Francis of Assisi.

“He had a great dedication to ministering to the elderly and the sick in the parish,” said retired Father Harold Buse, who was pastor at St. Francis from 1989 to 1993. “He was very welcoming, a good listener and very kind and supportive of the priests.”

“He was a strong family man in terms of doing things with his family to keep the family strong and close, and passing on the faith.”

Deacon Burbach also had an unwavering support for Catholic education, Father Buse said, particularly for Pope John XXIII Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School in Elgin, where he served on the school’s board of directors.

He was preceded in death by parents, Adam and Mary (Schmidt) Burbach; wife Helen; grandson, Adam Burbach; son-in-law, Kim Kubo; brothers, Alphonse, Jerome, Harold, Raymond and Marlen; and sisters, Teresa Pinkelman and Dorothy Kremer.

Deacon Burbach is survived by children, Dana Kubo and Charles Burbach, both of Norfolk, Kris (Curt) Rossman of Scottsbluff, Angela Miller of Bozeman, Montana, Lisa (Danny) Payne of Neligh, Amy (Tim) Baker of Neligh, Paul (Courtney) Burbach of Norfolk, and Matthew (Meghan) Burbach of Cape Coral, Florida.; 31 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; and sisters-in-law, Irma O’Gara of Iowa and Rita Lipinski of Washington.

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