John Robert Burgess Jr.

1946 - 2025

John Robert Burgess, Jr.

December 3, 1946 - September 24, 2025

John Robert Burgess, Jr. died on September 24, 2025, surrounded by family, after an extended illness. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on December 3, 1946, to Nanaline Holt Burgess and John Robert Burgess, Sr., both of whom predeceased him.

John attended Samford University for one year before transferring to Auburn University, where he was awarded a B.S. degree in Secondary Education (History) and M.S. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. He was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity at Samford and at Auburn. Later, he served as Sigma Nu Advisor at Auburn for over 25 years and was named National Advisor of the Year in 2004 and received the Regent's Medallion of Merit Award in 2015. Even after retiring as Sigma Nu Advisor, John continued to help members of the Beta Theta chapter in various ways.

John worked as a rehabilitation counselor at the Vocational Rehabilitation Center in Montgomery before joining the staff of Continuing Education at AUM. In 1978, he transferred to Auburn University, where he initially worked in the Counseling Center as an advisor to students with disabilities. Over the next thirty years, he continued his work with Auburn students as Director of the University Program Council (UPC), Director of Foy Student Union, and Counselor for students in the A.U. Admissions Office. John was widely known for his devotion to assisting students both before and after their enrollment and spent countless hours helping them find their niche on the Auburn campus.

After his retirement, John continued a life of service with untold acts of kindness both to family and friends, as well as to many who never knew him. He is survived by his wife of over 52 years, Betty Burgess; his children, Elizabeth Burgess of Auburn, Alabama and John Robert Burgess, III (Carrie) of Birmingham, Alabama; his sister, Nan Burgess of Auburn, Alabama; his brother, Thad Burgess (Barbara) of Nashville, Tennessee; his nieces, Tiffany Davis (Chris) of Cumming, Georgia, Brittany Westerman (Jannie) of Jasper, Alabama, Haley Burgess of Jasper, Alabama and Lauren Burgess of Canton, Georgia; and six great nieces and nephews.

A celebration of John's life will be held in the Sanctuary at Auburn United Methodist Church on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. with a visitation/reception immediately following in the Fellowship Hall in the Epworth Building.

The family wishes to express its gratitude to Dr. John Abrams, John's primary physician, and to the staff at Bethany House for their kindness, compassion, and professionalism.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the John Robert Burgess, Jr. and Elizabeth deGraffenried Burgess Alumni Endowed Scholarship. The name of the scholarship should be noted with a check made payable to the Auburn University Foundation and sent to Auburn Advancement, P.O. Box 3140, Auburn, AL 36830.