Cori Burden said she and brother, Chad, are still learning about the impact their father, Bill Burden, had on the West Guilford community.
The long-time owner of the West Guilford Shopping Centre will be remembered July 16 at the community centre.
Cori, in an interview with The Highlander, relayed some of the stories she and Chad had heard over the years.
“Your dad gave us free diapers so we could get through the winter when we were going through hard times; your dad fed us until my dad got a job; my dad was an alcoholic, so your dad made sure our family was okay. I even had someone say your dad paid my hydro bill until I got back on my feet. Unbelievable stories,” Cori said.
She added Bill wouldn’t want anybody to know he was helping someone out. “He was very genuine and very private.” The stories have rounded out her understanding of not just her dad, but the man as a store owner and human being.
Sawyer: ‘you couldn’t get a nicer guy’
It all made sense though since Bill had a “love thy neighbour” approach, his daughter added.
Bill was also “all about family; loyalty to family; stick together no matter what, right or wrong, you support and love in any obstacle we come across…we do it together.”
She said the man at home was very much the man in the store; calm, caring, quiet, and not easily angered. She said she and Chad would seek his advice. He would play devil’s advocate but always leave them to make their own decisions.
Cori said Bill also loved family trips, remembering him taking her daughter to Disneyland. “His back was bad but he never complained. He walked around that park with a sore back, holding my daughter’s hand, making sure she had a princess dress.
“What a great life and legacy. He was generous, loved his customers and staff like family and loved my mom (Edna, who passed away in May 2024).”
She added she and Chad will carry on that legacy out of respect for their dad; raising their children to work hard, and love their neighbours.
Burden was named West Guilford citizen of the year in 2017, saying at the time, “I’m proud to be a resident of West Guilford.” Bill and Edna became the fourth proprietors of the iconic store in 1983.
Chris Chumbley started working with Bill in 2002. “If you were a local person that was the place to go to work in the summer,” Chumbley said.
He added Bill would also sell products from local artists and entrepreneurs to help them out. He also assisted with community events.
Reflecting on 23 years at the store, Chumbley said, “working that close with him and having him trust me to do certain things … it’s an honour. I basically learned everything from him. I have done everything in that store at one point or another, all learning from him how to do things.”
He described Bill as “very friendly. He loved a good laugh. It was very rare to see him get cross. He was always happy. Everything was focused on the store, then the kids, and the grandkids, and hockey – everyone stopped in to talk to him about hockey. And he was so happy to see the cottagers come back every year.”
Dysart et al coun. Carm Sawyer said Bill, “was a great friend and he was an absolute gentleman to our community. He did everything he could for anybody. He treated everybody just unbelievably well. For anything at the community centre, he supported. He supported everybody. He’s irreplaceable, that man. He knew every cottager, he knew every local. You couldn’t get a nicer guy.”
A memorial visitation will be held at the West Guilford Community Centre, 1061 Kennisis Lake Rd., West Guilford, on Wednesday, July 16, from noon until the time of tributes at 2 p.m.
