Joseph Cort Burgess tragically passed away on November 28, 2020 from a fatal gunshot wound. While he was waiting in the vehicle, his partner returned and was placing the rifle inside the truck when it discharged. The incident occurred near Hamilton Heights area.
Joseph was born in San Diego, CA on January 23, 1969 to Marvin Burgess and Bonnie Kelsch Burgess.
When he was eight years old the family moved back to the Bitterroot Valley. He and his sister and brother attended Stevensville and Hamilton schools, and when possible, they attended Christian school. By the time he was nine years old, we were informed that he was checking weekly with Hamilton Job Service for work. At the age of 12 he was critically injured when he was struck by a car while riding his bike with his friends. When he recovered and was out of a cast, he was job hunting aain. At 14 he was driving tractor for our landlord on Willow Creek Road. At 17 he enrolled in a course in Phoenix, AX for mechanics but because he was self taught in the basics, the instructor was soon teaching the other students. He worked many jobs in the Bitterroot. When he was 20 he was hired by Jay Pholey of Pioneer Log Homes and in June of 1991, at 22, he was tested and certified as their log scaler, and licensed for house logs. Later he worked for Montana Idaho Log Homes as a crew leader and was involved in setting log homes out of state, Washington, New Mexico and New York, etc. He became a master mechanic and self taught welder and when work was slow he helped build trailers in Stevensville.
In the 90’s, he and Michelle Mecham were married and they moved to Stickney, SD where he worked with cattle and was certified as an inseminator. Years later he and his wife divorced and Joe returned to the Bitterroot Valley. On his way back coming through South Dakota, he noticed a field burning and men scrambling to put it out. He could see that it was getting away from them and quickly pulled over to see if he could help. He mentioned a way that could possibly help contain it and they were successful in stopping the fire and really thanked him for his help.
In 2005 he met a hay farmer named Al Babel from Corvallis. Al hired Joe to work for him in his hay business. They quickly became best friends and worked together for 15 years until Joe was killed. In Al’s words, “I thought when I hired Joe that I was just getting an employee, but after a few days… I knew it was way more than that!” Joe maintained and drove all of Al’s machines. There were times at the end of the day that he would not come out of the hay field if there was any threat of rain. “When we left the state for a month during holidays, we knew he was taking care of everything… horses included.”
During this time he met partner Carlita Boyer and her three daughters: Clarissa, Rebecca and Madilyn Boyer, and was a great support to her in raising them.
When he was around five, he bagan rescuing animals and was involved in rescuing a crippled kitten. At 8 the kids carried home a Cocker spaniel that had been shot. And then there’s the four-year-old Appalossa he bought and rescued on his way back from a job in South Dakota. He changed her registered name from Phoebe to “Dusty.” Dusty is 20 now and still with the family. Joe loved tracking and identifying birds and made it known that they needed to be fed by a certain time every morning. One morning at work he noticed a bird stranded high up in a hay barn. He went and got a tall ladder and a welding glove, climbed up and rescued a kestrel. He held it until he knew it was okay and then let it go. It seems he was either rescuing animals or people. Like a “good samaritan” if someone needed him, he would do his best to help them.
He enjoyed cooking on holidays and especially making his special cheesecakes for all to enjoy. During the summer he shared produce from the garden with family, friends and always making it a point to deliver some to his senior friends in the Corvallis area while at the same time making sure they were doing okay. We have the memory of when our Aunt Viola (Woolsey), at 96 years old, came to visit at Christmas, and how Joe offered his arm to her, keeping her safe to and from her vehicle.
His daughter Nicole says, “He was so good,” even though there were hardships in staying in each other’s lives, we both knew that we loved each other and we kept a strong bond. She appreciated all her Dad did to keep in contact with her, never missing birthdays and holidays when she was growing up.
They made up for lost time and lately he was spending lots of time with the granddaughters, Sarah and Sierra, taking many trips to the library and enjoying lots of other activities, more birthdays and holidays. They describe him as “funny and fun.”
Joe also had a sentimental side to him so when it came to choosing a card for a close friend or family member it could take awhile. It had to have just the right message and his personal note at the bottom. On one of the last cards to his mother he had written, ‘Mom… let me know if you need any help. I can help you!”
Joseph comes from a long line of ancestors from the Bitterroot Valley in the Darby area. On the McKinney side beginning with great great great grandparents Lafayette and Phoebe Williams McKinney and brothers Amos and Ike, George Washington (Wash) McKinney. In fact, the two story log house off 93 leading to Lake Como was built by Wash, Joe’s great grandparents Goldie (Mack) and Della McKinney. On the mother’s side, great great grandparents Alexander and Helen Kelsch, ND, grandparents Joseph Kelsch and Iva (McKinney) Kelsch, his uncle Joseph John Kelsch, his 8 year old niece Jasmine Gill. On his father’s side, grandparents Arthur Cort and Berniece Burgess, CA, and his father Marvin Arthur Burgess.
Joe leaves behind his mother Bonnie Kelsch Burgess Nickerson who says, “I miss his big, but gentle, bear hugs and his ‘bye bye, love ya.” His sister Cassie Pauley of Hamilton, who says “he counseled her.” Brother Greg Burgess, who says “he was a man of many deeds.” Sister Stephanie Burgess of CA and his daughter Nicole Burgess Mcollum who says, “He was so good to me,” her husband Richard, and Joe’s granddaughters Sarah and Sierra who described him as “fun and funny.” His aunts, Barbara Dehle of TX and Sandra Cordiss of Butte MT and many nieces and nephews.
At the gathering, which was held in Al and Carol’s field, all of the tractors that Joe drove in the field, except the huge combines, were lined up on either side and decorated with beautiful wreaths on the fronts and large freestanding pictures of Joe taken by Al’s wife Carol. One of the pictures was taken of Joe holding the rescued bird and another just four weeks before he died, showing Joe on the “boom” Al had rented so that Joe could climb 50 feet up with branches to “help” a pair of eagles build their nest. When the gathering was over and only a few of us still standing in the field, that very same pair of eagles flew down very closely above us as if they were paying their respects to Joe.
The Bible verse he learned while in Christian school was John 14:2. “In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am ye may be also.” Yes, Joe has gone on to be with the Lord. Not to be an angel, but to walk with God. He is “fiercely” missed by his family, along with his “big but gentle bear hugs and ‘bye bye, lov ya.’” He was a very caring and loving son, brother, father and grandfather.