Sumner Wesley Burmeister

1944 - 2021

Sumner Wesley Burmeister
December 26, 1944 - August 24, 2021
Sacramento, California - Sumner Wesley "Bob" Burmeister passed away on 24 August 2021 in Sacramento, CA, from complications associated with Celiac disease. He was 76 years old.
The eldest of two sons, Bob was born 26 December 1944 to Sumner Fred "Bud" Burmeister (1918-2001) and Bernice Wesley "Betty" Burmeister (neé Sawyer, 1916-2006) in Inglewood, California. In 1946, Bob's parents left wartime jobs with rival aircraft companies and moved north to Alameda and embarked on a wild journey following Bud's career as a civil engineer with the Western Pacific Railroad. The family moved among postings in Salt Lake City, Portola, Counsman, Rio Linda, Concord, Keddie, Wells, and Elko. Growing up in the wilds along the railroad helped Bob develop a fondness for snowball fights, hiking, Native American traditions, wide open spaces, and long road trips. Bob often said that he moved 12 times before he was 13 years old. Much later, the family's connection to the railroad and the northern Sierra Nevada led to a tradition of annual holiday vacations in the Feather River Canyon. The family ultimately settled in Sacramento in 1955, where Bob and his father restored a boat they used to explore Lake Tahoe, local rivers, and the Bay-Delta. Bob's first car was a 1954 Ford sedan and it sparked a love for cars that led him to begin taking summer jobs laying railroad tracks to earn money towards the purchase of a new car. He bought a very fast 1964 GTO and soon found himself in occasional encounters with his father and the authorities. Bob and his little brother loved spending time together and would often go exploring along the American River, riding motorcycles, and watching races at the Sacramento Raceway.
Bob attended Hiram Johnson High School and before graduating in 1963, he helped the swimming team set a relay record that remained unbroken for decades. Bob's experiences working on railroad steel-gangs laying track in the summer heat alongside unvarnished colorful characters helped him appreciate the benefits of continuing his education. He went on to earn an AA at Sacramento City College in 1967, a BS in Business Administration at Sacramento State University in 1970, and a MBA at Golden Gate University in 1974. Bob began working for the California Department of Motor Vehicles in 1964, where he ultimately pursued a career in data analysis and personnel management and met the love of his life and future wife. Before retiring in 2001, Bob's final task was to oversee the year 2000 transition to ensure the DMV avoided unforeseen computer-related pitfalls. Bob joined the Air Force Reserve in 1966 and served as an Inventory Management Specialist at bases in Amarillo, TX, and Sacramento before being honorably discharged in 1973. Bob and Naomi married in 1967 and moved into the Glenbrook neighborhood near Sacramento State University. Soon after they traded their beloved Austin-Healey Bugeye Sprite in for a more sensible Volkswagen and welcomed their two sons, Kurtis (1973) and Richard (1975).
Bob was an incredibly selfless, loving, and supportive husband and father. He was also deeply devoted to his family and a remarkably broad network of close friends. In addition to sharing his passions for books, blues music, tennis, gluten-free beer, holiday traditions, history, and genealogy, he also managed to spark a love for dad jokes and bad puns in all of us. Left with decades of fond and meaningful memories are his wife Naomi (neé Teramoto), sons Kurtis Charles (Laura) of Elk Grove and Richard Cajus (Hannah) WA; brother Paul Conrad (Judy) Burmeister and nieces Colette and Rebecca of Concord, cousin William (Jeanie) Wells of AZ; brother-in-law Richard (Kimiko) Teramoto, niece Nami and nephew Kahn, and sister-in-law Amie Teramoto of Sacramento. Bob truly relished his role as a grandpa and he is deeply missed by grandchildren Emi, Stanley, Rosamie, and Nicholas.
Bob constantly supported organizations that help people working to improve their lives. He established the Betty Burmeister Memorial Scholarship at Sacramento State University in 2008 to support non-traditional students, like his mother, who are resuming their education after raising a family. In lieu of koden or flowers, if you would like to make a charitable donation to honor his memory, a tax-deductible contribution to the University Foundation at Sacramento State to support the "Betty Burmeister Memorial Scholarship" may be sent to: The University Foundation at Sacramento State, Development Office, 6000 J Street MS 6030, Sacramento, CA 95819 or online at www.csus.edu/give (select designation "other").
A private viewing is scheduled for Saturday, 11 September 2021 at the George L Klumpp Chapel of Flowers. An online memorial service will be conducted by the Buddhist Church of Sacramento on Thursday, 16 September 2021 at 4:00 PM PDT. He will be interred at East Lawn Memorial Park.