Harry L. Burdett, Jr., age 81, of Valparaiso, Indiana, passed away on Thursday, September 19, 2024, surrounded by his loved ones at home. His wife, Lynn (Romer) Burdett, joined him in heaven the very next day. Harry was born to (late) Harry and (late) Mildred Burdett on June 3, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Chicago and Dolton, Illinois Also, preceding his passing was his youngest son, David Burdett, in 2009. Harry is survived by his younger brother, James Burdett, his oldest son, Michael Burdett Sr., his daughter, Janet Coughlan, his stepchildren, Trina Burdett, Tony (Ryan) Romer and Lisa (Tom) Markacek, as well as his grandchildren, Michael (Lana) Burdett, Heather (Rich) Burdett, Joseph (Jenny) Burdett, Kristina (Jake) Burdett, Nikolas Burdett, Jonathan Gehrman, Brendan Coughlan, Matthew Burdett, Christopher (Brooke) Burdett and David Burdett, as well as nine great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Harry was a free spirit who loved his family, animals, nature, music, traveling, and watching the live space station. He enjoyed his service as a locomotive engineer for the railroad for 41 years. It was obvious that Harry loved God with all his heart and soul, which enabled him to be a pillar of strength for everyone around him. He was always there for his family, helping them in any way he could. Despite his dementia for several years, he never lost his wonderful sense of humor. Throughout his entire life journey, he still loved cracking jokes, making silly faces, and wearing funny hats and costumes. He had a natural ability to make people laugh. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a PayPal or Zelle donation to the family at heatherburdett3@gmail.com. We welcome all who knew Harry to join us in celebrating the life of a man who was loved deeply and will be greatly missed. To honor Harry’s memory, a Celebration of Life service and meal will take place on Tuesday, October 8th between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Porter County Expo Center, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383.
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