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Don Burkley
Mar 28, 1924 - Sept 24, 2007Thanks to Carol Stevens, of Koning & Associates, for providing this article on Don.
Carol may be reached at:
(209) 575-5802
cstevens@koning.usLongtime insurance claims manager, Donald Burkley, passed away in Sonora, California on September 24, 2007 after a long battle with cancer. He was 83 years old, and is survived by his wife, Gloria Burkley.
Don was a past president of the Central Coast Claims Association, back in 1966. He remained an active and key member of the organization for years beyond, including having served several terms as our illustrious Parliamentarian.
Don was also a member and Vice President of the San Jose Claims Managers Forum, and an eloquent speaker of the Toastmasters organization.
Don Burkley was born in Pittsburgh, PA and, at the age of 17, joined the U.S. Army and served in World War II. After the war, he attended college and acquired his law degree from Washburn University. He was a prior member of the American Bar Association. He loved dealing with and adjusting complex legal issue cases, and handling arbitration, mediation and settlement conferences was his real forté.
Don worked at Zurich Insurance Company in San Francisco handling trial prep, and then went to work for Firemans' Fund in San Jose as a claims supervisor. From there, he was claims manager for United Pacific Insurance Company, San Jose, before going to work for deVries & McQuade.
He went back to work for Canadian Indemnity as their claims manager, then owned his own independent agency in Morgan Hill for a short time. From there, he was employed by Russo Claims Service, where he worked with Chris Koning. When Chris opened his own firm, Koning & Associates, Don was hired as Koning's first adjuster, on August 1, 1985. Mr. Burkley was employed by Koning & Asssociates for eleven years as the General Manager, the position from which he retired in December, 1996.
Don remained very active with the CCCA for many years and, as an avid golfer, loved participating in their annual golf tournaments. he was also very active in the Moose Lodge, and held every office over the years, including governor, and was the national insurance chairman for the Lodge.
He and his wife, Gloria, had a second home in Pine Mountain Lake, Groveland, CA, where they enjoyed weekends and vacation time, so, after retirement, it was a natural move for them to make on a permanent basis.
With a gorgeous golf course close at hand, Don enjoyed retirment with lots of free time to play golf, and served on the Men's Golf Club as their president. Still craving to stay busy, he also went to work part time for Pine Mountain Lake Association, operating one fo the patrol boats on the lake, which he continued to do until approximately two months prior to his passing.
Don was a true gentleman, and was loved and admired by all those who knew him. He will be missed!
