Stephen Clark Burrell

Dec. 5, 1942 – April 27, 2023

Stephen Clark Burrell, 80, peacefully passed away on April 27, 2023, after a long series of illnesses. Steve was known and loved for his wit, intelligence, inquisitive nature and adventurous spirit.

He lived his 80 years to the hilt. He was born December 5, 1942, and was raised in Wyoming, where he learned to ski (much before other Americans) and to appreciate beautiful wide-open spaces. In Lovell he was known for mischief as a boy and harebrained escapades as a teenager. 

He left Wyoming for West Point and four years, much to his dismay, of strict obedience. There he challenged the rules as much as he could and earned the nickname “Nikita” for his Russian language aptitude. He graduated in 1965 with an honorable discharge due to a spinal injury.

Soon thereafter he met wife-to-be Kathie Morrill. Since he and Kathie wanted a life of adventure, Steve got his MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. For the next three decades, he was a salesman for gas and oil projects around the globe. 

Their early life was a whirlwind of children, Melinda and Andrew, and moves, more than most, 10 states and three foreign countries, as Steve swiftly rose through four different engineering companies, finally landing in London, U.K., with MW Kellogg as VP for Eastern Hemisphere Sales. 

Upon retiring, they returned to the U.S., where they founded the Golden Pond School in Ashburn, Virginia, which soon gained a reputation for exceptionally high quality early childhood education.

Steve’s career encompassed many responsibilities and involved work on six continents. His personal highlights include meeting three heads of state, racking up hundreds of thousands of air miles, a naval escort into Algeria for a sales call, finalizing multi-million dollar contracts, being seen as a worldwide LNG expert and hundreds of opportunities to photograph the world exposing the most beautiful and the most bizarre.

Steve was known for his ability to make people laugh and his inability to put up with baloney, though he would use another term. His wit, humor, intelligence and love have been sorely missed this last year by his immediate family, wife Kathie, daughter Melinda, son Andrew and grandson Alexander.