Eulogy for Tim Burchill by Brother Louis

(The following eulogy was delivered by Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis Monday, Feb. 26, at the funeral service for Tim Burchill, Executive Director of the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership and long-time Saint Mary’s administrator.)

“Tim was my friend, and he will always be. He was my colleague, and he will always be. Tim was an amazing professional, whose efforts will be with us for longer than you can imagine. Tim was all those things, but, most importantly, he was my friend.
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“Tim Burchill was also an enthusiastic and tire-less friend of Saint Mary’s, who, for 28 years, worked almost constantly, it seemed, to find the ways and means for his alma mater to do its work for its students, faculty and staff. Of course, it was his job, his noble profession. But, because Tim was who he was, it was a deep and profoundly felt commitment to ideals. He worked so very hard and so wonderfully creatively because he knew it was the right thing to do. I could make you a list of all of the things he accomplished for Saint Mary’s; but Tim wouldn’t want that.

“Tim was my friend and he will always be. Oh, yes, he excelled at his work, but far more than that, he was . . . . Well, the best way to say it is this: He was a great guy. He was a very calm person who dealt with difficulties by remaining calm, even if I were “not remaining calm,” on those rare occasions. His sense of humor could appreciate both the erudite and the silly. And he knew when to use humor, and when to be quite serious. Speaking as a person whose work made so many demands on him, I knew he would always be there . . . as a colleague, as a professional, and, most importantly, as a friend.

“And we were good friends in spite of the fact that some of his favorite activities were rather different than mine. Motorcycling, for example. Tim and his cherished wife, Barb, were quite the pair, tooling down the highway on those Harleys, observing either the spirit or the letter of the law at every moment, of course. He really tried to get me interested in joining him. He said a picture of me on a Harley would make a classic collector’s item for alumni and the most significant action I could take in SMU fundraising! In retrospect, I think he really meant it. He may even have been right!

And then there was golf. Tim loved it. All the years we worked together, he tried to get me to be as enthusiastic about golf as he was, but I used to tell him, “Tim, until they have a restaurant on the 9th hole where I could get needed nourishment – I won’t be golfing.” It didn’t work for me, but it provided so much enjoyment and relief from the pressures of work for him. And he was very good at it, too.

“Tim Burchill was a man of Context and Vision. Many of you may recall that an early major fund raising campaign that Tim and I undertook was called Context and Vision. The name was Tim’s idea and, without going into the details of that effort, it was most meaningful and most effective. But, as I think of those words now – Context and Vision – they clearly speak to what Tim was all about. He lived in a Context which blended his strong faith, his vital family, his deep friendships, and his professional work. And we know that he was a man of remarkable Vision. I witnessed the wisdom of his hopes and dreams for the future, of the way things ought to be. And his insight and future-sight were so right so often, making him a remarkable professional in his field.

“I am sure Tim did not think of himself when he dreamed up that mantra, but it describes him so well, doesn’t it? Tim Burchill was a man of Context and Vision; of faith and action; of understanding and commitment.

"Thank you, Tim, for being my colleague and my friend and for being such a vital part of the SMU family ... we will miss you."