Paul Gray Burghardt

Paul Gray Burghardt, age 84, of Greenwood, Virginia and formerly of West Paterson, NJ, passed away on Sunday, September 1, 2019.

Paul was born and raised in West Paterson, NJ, known today Woodland Park. The eldest of Paul and Eleanor Burghardt’s three children, he graduated from Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls with the Class of 1953. His education continued at Montclair State College where four years later, he earned his bachelor’s degree in education with a concentration in business administration. While at Montclair State, Paul enjoyed participating in the cycling club and playing piano in jazz bands. Fresh out of college, his search for employment had to wait when, despite having a rheumatic heart condition, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Korea in the demilitarized zone. Paul’s keen mind and excellent math skills lead him to duty in the Signal Corps decoding intercepted messages. Upon return to civilian life in 1959, Paul enrolled again at Montclair State College in pursuit of his master’s degree. As part of that quest, he studied abroad in Germany and Mexico. Paul enjoyed a long and satisfying career in education as an accounting teacher and later as a business administrator for the Manchester Regional High School in Haledon, NJ. During his years at Manchester he was beloved by his students and was thus awarded the prestigious Teacher of the Year Award by Governor Thomas Kean. A man of seemingly endless energy, during his years at Manchester High School, he concurrently served as an adjunct professor teaching accounting and other business courses at the Berkley School of Business in West Paterson and Passaic Community College in Paterson.

Those who knew Paul personally, affectionately called him by his middle name “Gray”. From restoring historical homes to advocating for all of God’s creatures, to making heavenly music, Gray was always involved in some interesting endeavor.

After retirement, Gray decided to take on the challenge of restoring an old historical home. He purchased The Frey House in Palatine Bridge, New York. Originally built in 1808 by Revolutionary War General John Frey and complete with the Frey family cemetery on the property, Paul returned the home to its original condition and architectural time period earning it a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

One of Gray’s other interests was breeding and showing Pekingese dogs. This hobby led him to the love of his life and the woman he would eventually marry. Her name was Hope Hadley and Gray met Hope at a dog show in New York State. They married on May 25, 1990 at a church in Cooperstown, NY.

Soon after marriage, Gray and Hope moved to Greenwood, Virginia where they purchased and restored the historic Mirador home. This was the home of Viscountess Nancy Langhorne Aster, who became the first women member of the British Parliament.  Built in 1842, Wikipedia indicates it was a two story brick structure on a raised basement with a deck-on-hip roof capped by a Chinese Chippendale railing. It is worth noting that Paul’s time serving in Korea gave him a great appreciation for Asian art and architecture, so the Chinese Chippendale railing certainly was appealing to him. The Mirador home was surrounded by vast landscaped property that included a sunken lawn and a walk bordered by serpentine walls. The property also included a corner house, a stable, farm buildings, a manager’s home, a tenant house, two lakes and the Sam Black Tavern. This tavern was a log building built in 1769 and had the distinction of having visitors the likes of Thomas Jefferson who would stop for meals and to feed his horse, and Lewis and Clark. The Mirador home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, was frequently toured by students from the University of Virginia, and was featured in motion pictures including Racing Stripes (2005) and Evan Almighty (2007). While living at Mirador, Gray furnished the home with his collection of early American art and antiques, as well as antiques from London and Asian art. Gray and Hope maintained an active farm including a dog kennel, horses, and a charitable rescue operation which they founded and ran called Hope for Animals.

Gray’s love of animals could not be underestimated. He shared this love with Hope and there wasn’t anything that he would not do for their well-being. Expecting only the best care possible, he would think nothing of taking the long drive to Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine if one of his animals needed medical attention. He was dearly loved by Esmerelda, a calico kitty he rescued from a gas station during a cold winter while she was pregnant. One of Esmerelda’s kittens was Scarlett, who Gray often referred to affectionately as “Essie” after his dear Esmerelda passed away.  

Gray was also an amazingly talented musician, proficient at playing the piano, harpsichord and organ. He was especially attracted to playing show tunes and was involved in auditioning Barbara Swift for the role of the Mother Superior in The Sound of Music. He taught piano lessons during his years in New Jersey and there are many home videos of him playing beautiful music.

Despite all his pursuits, there was nothing more important to Gray than his family. He loved to recall precious childhood memories of growing up in West Paterson climbing in the sandpits and learning to swim at John Bold’s Pond with his brother Allan and his sister Sally Ann. His interest in dogs was shared with Sally Ann and he always took a keen interest in his nieces and nephews. When they were considering colleges to attend, Gray would take it upon himself to do some research and lovingly guide them in such an important decision.    

Gray was the beloved husband of Hope, blessed in marriage for twenty-nine years. He was the loving brother of Allan and wife Marlene Burghardt of Woodland Park, and sister of Sally Ann and husband Bruce Duncan of Virginia; adored uncle of: his goddaughter Diane and husband Robert Marconi, Allan G. and wife Cindi Burghardt, Mark and wife Ruth Burghardt, Joseph Lochli and Paul Lochli; and dear great-uncle of numerous great-nieces and great-nephews.

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MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTION INFORMATION

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Paul’s name are asked to consider a memorial contribution to one of the following three organizations:

Staunton Augusta Rescue Squad

1601 North Coalter Street

Staunton, VA 24401

Albemarle County Rescue Squad

828 McIntire Road

Charlottesville, VA 22902

Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine

Development Office

205 Duck Pond Drive

Blacksburg, VA 24060