![Ed Burch [Click here to view full size picture]](media/history/tn_edburch.jpg)
Ed Burch was born March 2, 1937 in Richmond, Virginia. He grew up living between Virginia and Chicago attending a military school in Faribault, Minn. and a prep school in Simsbury, Conn. before graduating from high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He ended up in Colorado to attend college at Colorado State University where he met and married Kay DeBacker. Kay is a fifth generation Coloradan. Her ancestors settled Boulder County in 1857 and she has many relatives that still live there. The marriage produced two children, Barrett B. Burch was fatally injured in a car accident in 1984 at age 8, and Andrew Paul Burch, age 23. While in college Ed joined R.O.T.C., which influenced his choice to begin a career in the military. He served over 20 years in the US Army retiring as a Lt. Colonel. Ed was a paratrooper and Army Ranger and spent most of his time in Airborne, Special Forces and light infantry units. He served three tours in Viet Nam and was wounded during the first tour. The second tour he led a parachute infantry company in the 101st Airborne and during the third tour he was involved in the siege of Kontum City. The city was surrounded for 100 days in 1972. Ed was decorated for valor nine times during his three tours with the highest award the Silver Star. After retirement from the Army he and his family moved to Steamboat Springs in 1980. He began his second career, in law enforcement, with the Steamboat Springs Police Department Reserve Unit working as Training Officer and became a full time officer in 1982. In 1983 he assumed the position of Undersheriff to Sheriff Tim Walsh and worked until July 1985 when he left due to the death of his youngest son, Barrett. He later went to work for Defensive Tactics Institute, training police officers all over the country. In 1988 he returned to the Routt County Sheriff's Office as a deputy and worked for the next year when he decided to run for Sheriff during the next election in 1990. He was elected and took office in January 1991. This term brought many changes in the office. After 60 years in the basement of the courthouse the sheriff's office moved to a new jail and office facility on west highway 40. A modern, 42-bed jail facility with adequate office space was welcome. The basement of the new facility also houses the modern Combined Communication Center. The office management was computerized and a new CAPERS system was installed to help keep track of all the office does and provide a statistical base for better management information. The D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance Education) program was started in all three school districts and the office also initiated a K-9 program. After a ten-year absence a Sheriff's Reserve Unit was re-established. Many programs, such as hiring, training and physical fitness were upgraded and improved. With all the new things some of the old is retained; we still work on eliminating cattle rustling and as Glen Robson said, responding to "the family row". Sheriff Burch lost a re-election bid for a second term of office in November 1994. Ed moved to Colorado Springs and served as Undersheriff for El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for 2 years. Ed then retired, remarried and he and wife Belinda spent time on his sailboat. In 2000 Ed and Belinda moved to Juneau, Alaska. On December 27, 2000, while certifying a pilot, the plane went down off the coast of Alaska and the plane nor remains were recovered.
Resource:
Steamboat Pilot, January 30, 1992
Ed Burch
© 2004 Joyce Cusick nacpinc@hotmail.com
|
![Ed Burch [Click here to view full size picture]](javascript:showPic(new picObj('media/history/edburch.jpg', ' Ed Burch',469,600));)