Robert Glenn Burch

Robert Glenn Burch of Tucson, AZ left this life gently on March 31, 2025. His death was caused by complications from a fall he suffered earlier that month while tending his beautiful garden. Bob had just celebrated his 83rd birthday.

Always Robert to his family, he was the first child of Charles J. and Dorothy (Surnburger) Burch, born on March 24, 1942, in Morris Plains, NJ. The family moved to Pittsburgh, PA shortly after WWII, and eventually settled in Chappaqua, NY.

Bob attended Horace Greeley High School, where he thrived academically and athletically, while earning straight As in sociability. He always knew that he wanted to be an engineer. The only questions were what concentration to study and where. He chose Lehigh University in Pennsylvania steel country, beginning with a major in chemical engineering. Bob had a change of heart and switched to metallurgical engineering when he realized that "those chemical guys had slide rules strapped to their belts and didn't even know where the football field was." (His passion for football, ignited in high school, continued at Lehigh until a knee injury sent him to the sidelines in his third year.)

He was also certain about what he wanted to do with that BS in Engineering: work internationally. He was recruited by Ingersoll Rand Co., the global manufacturer of heavy machinery. Overseas postings for the next 10 plus years included Venezuela (where he arrived without knowing a word of Spanish and learned that his client was none other than Standard Oil), Puerto Rico and the emerging giants India and Brazil. He thrived on the immersion in new cultures, the travel to installations off the beaten path, and the challenges of getting things done in the developing world. He returned to the US in the mid-1970s where he managed the company's Latin American division.

The second half of Bob's career was in turnaround management, working with distressed companies in various industries around the world. His superpower was the ability to tune out the noise of a crisis and isolate the client's core problem. "You can't fix what you don't see," was his mantra. Bob capped off the turnaround years by returning to Pennsylvania steel country, where he served as CEO of a group of metal fabrication companies.

Bob was curious about everything around him and retained a sense of wonder about the natural world. After retiring to Tucson in 2003, he fell in love with the Southwest, finding a feast for his abiding interests in geology and astronomy, and relishing the region's echoes of Latin America. He became deeply involved with the community and was especially committed to his neighbors. The Burches also enjoyed spending time in Flagstaff, winter and summer.

Bob never met a puzzle he didn't delight in solving, or a problem he wouldn't illustrate with a spreadsheet. He loved machinery, computers, and fast cars; music of all kinds, good wine, and great food; caring for his roses, turning out perfectly grilled salmon, and reading quietly in the evening with his wife Jane, each interrupting the other to quote interesting tidbits. Bob was a truly happy guy; he had a wonderful sense of humor, often salted with wry wit and a twinkle in his eye. He found something special about every day and every person he met.

Bob is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jane (Murphy), brother Charles Jr. (Linda), sister Constance Callahan (Neil), and three special people who became his sisters later in life: Jane McBrier, Julia Fisher, and Jean O'Dell. They are daughters of Charlotte Priest Burch who married Charles Sr. after their respective spouses died in the 1970s. Bob also leaves cherished nieces and nephews in the extended Burch and Murphy families, and friends throughout the world.

A Memorial Service will be held on May 31,12 pm, at Adair Funeral Home, 8090 N. Northern Ave, Oro Valley AZ. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a favorite charity. Bob was a dedicated supporter of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.