Michael David Burdick, of Los Altos, Calif., passed away suddenly at his home in Los Altos on Dec. 17, 2021 at the age of 61.
Mike was born in New Milford, Conn., spending most of his childhood in Clarkston.
He attended Clarkston public schools and then Michigan State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the College of Natural Science. Mike enjoyed a long and successful career working in the pharmaceutical industry, initially in a research lab and then in regulatory affairs at the Upjohn Company (later known as Pharmacia and then Pfizer) in Kalamazoo, and at various biotechnology companies in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Mike enjoyed sailing, flying, golf, tennis, and soccer. He and his wife, Marie, spent many summers sailing along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Upon acquiring his private pilot’s license, he flew his friends and family to various destinations in Michigan and beyond. In his youth, Mike was a high school varsity and USTA tennis player and later mentored his daughter Carina in the sport. His pride and joy was watching Carina flourish as a three-sport athlete (tennis, golf, and soccer) through high school, followed by her collegiate tennis career at Villanova University.
Mike is survived by his wife Marie, daughter Carina, mother Rita, brothers Pat and Kevin, nieces Alicia, Lindsay and Kelly, and grandniece Madeline.
A funeral service has been held in his honor.
Several scholarship endowments have been established in memory of Mike. Donations can be made to either the Clarkston Foundation for Public Education (clarkston.k12.mi.us/community/clarkston-foundation), with designation to the Michael Burdick Memorial Chemistry Scholarship or the Michael Burdick Memorial Language Arts Scholarship, or to the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University (givingto.msu.edu/gift), with designation to the Michael Burdick Biochemistry and Molecular Biology scholarship (A50207), which was established in honor of his mentor Dr. Clarence Suelter.