Henry Radcliffe "Harry" Burt

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Henry Radcliffe Burt, 82, of Richmond and Orkney Springs, VA, died on April 2, 2018 at his home on Church Hill following a brief illness.

Mr. Burt, known as Harry, was a Renaissance man.

He was born on Manhattan's Upper East Side, growing up in Westport, CT, and Jackson Heights, NY.

After graduating from Avon Old Farms School in Avon, CT, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from Washington & Lee University with a degree in mathematics.

Following college, Mr. Burt moved to Boston to work as a mechanic for a motorcycle shop and racing team, playing ragtime piano in Boston bars at night. He then began a career in operations research, first for ARMA on Long Island, and then Vitro and Presearch in Washington DC.

For his work applying the mathematics of contagion to naval mine warfare, Mr. Burt was elected in 1972 as a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science.

Also in 1972, Mr. Burt received a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the Architecture School of the University of Virginia. He then relocated with his family to Fairfax, VA, joining Daniel A. Robinson & Assoc. as a consultant to Virginia localities.

In 1981, Mr. Burt joined the World Bank, from which he retired in 1999.

Mr. Burt was a lifelong student of the faith and a devoted churchman, serving as vestryman of the Falls Church (Episcopal), St. George's Episcopal Church, Arlington, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Richmond. He was a board member of Shrine Mont, Inc. and Virginia Diocesan Homes, Inc. He also served as a member of the Committee on the Stewardship of Creation and was devoted to his work with the Young Priest Initiative of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

Mr. Burt was also active within the community, serving on the finance committee of Richmond Hill, and sponsoring many in recovery from addiction.

Mr. Burt was a motorcyclist for his entire adult life, wandering the highways and byways of the Shenandoah Valley, finally hanging up his leathers in 2011.

Mr. Burt was a gifted musician who loved Dixieland and ragtime. In the 1960s, he played clarinet with the New Sunshine Jazz Band in Washington D.C. and then piano every chance he could, imparting a love for Jelly Roll Morton to his family.

Mr. Burt was preceded in death by his father, Henry R. Burt and mother, Maggie Z. Horn Burt.

Mr. Burt is survived by his wife of 53 years, Eleanor M. Burt; son and daughter-in-law, Henry D.W. Burt and Mitzi van der Veer and grandsons Bacheler and Radcliffe of Richmond; son and daughter-in-law, Radcliffe and Michele Burt and granddaughters Emily and Sarah Catherine of Richmond; and sister-in-law, Dr. Barbara McMillan of Charlottesville.

The funeral will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 7 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace Street, Richmond, VA.

Interment will be in the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration at Orkney Springs later this summer.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Shrine Mont, 221 Shrine Mont Circle, Orkney Springs, VA 22845 or the Healing Place, 700 Dinwiddie Ave., Richmond, VA 23224.

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Religious Service Information
St Pauls Episcopal Church
815 E Grace St
Richmond, VA 23219
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Published in Northern Virginia Daily from Apr. 3 to Apr. 4, 2018