Mr. William Thomas Burda Jr

February 10, 1964 - January 23, 2022

William “Bill” Thomas Burda, Jr. was born February 10th 1964 to William Thomas Burda Sr. and Sondra VanVleck in Cortland, New York. Bill’s biggest passions were his family, cooking, contracting and cats. Although, his earliest talent was singing. In Junior high school, Bill was accepted to the prestigious Princeton Boys Choir that allowed him to travel the country and perform in some of the most renowned concert halls and cathedrals. His love for cooking came early for him. He studied food service in high school and upon graduation joined the Marines where he honed his cooking skills while serving our country. He went on to become a talented chef working in many high-end restaurants. He spent 17 years as a loving stepfather to three boys he was proud of and loved deeply. He had a fascination with fixing old houses; so, he transitioned from cooking to building. Bill realized he had the talent and ingenuity to repair or build anything. This is the path that led him to the love of his life. At 45, he was called to do a job at Ithaca’s Satori Salon and his life changed forever when he met Lynette. They found love and companionship that neither of them thought was possible. They spent the last several years creating a beautiful life together building their dream home, garden and Bill’s ultimate accomplishment - his workshop. They were inseparable sharing both their lives passions of boating, traveling, and camping. Survived by: loving wife Lynette Burda, brothers Steven Burda and Robert Paul Fidler, Sisters Mary Kniffen and Amy Denning, and a community of family and friends that loved him dearly. Church services will be at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Cortland, New York on Saturday, January 29th at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, please honor Bill’s love for cats and make a donation to the Cortland County SPCA at www.cortlandspca.kindful.com 607-753-9386.