In Memory
OBITUARY
Elaine Burgess
January 16, 1928 – December 28, 2025
Elaine Winifred Parmenter Burgess was born on January 16, 1928, in McCook, Nebraska, to Dr. E. W. Parmenter and Doris Russell Parmenter. She passed away peacefully on December 28, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois.
Elaine grew up in McCook Nebraska and graduated from McCook High School in 1945. A lifelong learner with a deep curiosity about people and the world, she went on to attend the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In 1947, she married Warren A. Burgess, and together they had three children.
Elaine earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1950 and built a career devoted to helping others. After moving to Omaha in 1956, she worked at the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute. The family later settled in Des Moines, Iowa, where Elaine earned a Master’s degree in Psychology from Drake University in 1965. She served Drake as a counseling psychologist and later as Associate Director of Admissions and Director of International Student Admissions and Services, roles in which she was known for her compassion, insight, and dedication to students from around the world.
In 1970, following her divorce, Elaine and her children spent a year in Puerto Rico, where she worked as a training consultant for the U.S. Peace Corps. This experience marked the beginning of more than two decades of meaningful work with the Peace Corps, serving as a consultant or training director in countries including Ecuador, Venezuela, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nepal, Tunisia, Morocco, and Barbados. Her work allowed her to combine her love of travel with her commitment to cross-cultural understanding and service.
Elaine’s career in international education also took her to many parts of the world, including Britain, Belgium, Germany, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. She shared her experiences and insights through articles and books on counseling, Peace Corps service, and education in Pakistan.
From 1983 until her retirement in 1998, Elaine served as Director of International Student Services at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. After retiring, she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she happily embraced a slower pace of life—volunteering at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, learning how to weave baskets, attending concerts and plays, exploring the Southwest, and taking geography classes at the University of New Mexico simply for the joy of learning. She loved living in Albuquerque and became one of New Mexico’s biggest boosters, trying to convince anyone who would listen to move there or at least visit. She hosted many friends and family who came to experience the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.
Elaine will be remembered as an intelligent, adventurous, and caring woman who valued education, service, and human connection. Elaine is survived by her children and their spouses; Kathy Sue Burgess and David Greet, Patti Jo Burgess Lyon and Mark Lyon, and Robert Jerrold Burgess and Michelle Burgess. Her 8 grandchildren; John Greet, Laura Greet, Keith Lyon, Meredith Lyon and spouse Jeffery Beining, Kelsey Lyon, Rachel Burgess Menges and spouse Philip Menges, Alexander Burgess, and Danielle Burgess Hoffman. She is also survived by her 6 great-grandchildren: Elliot Greet, Gwenevere Hoffman, Sabrina Hoffman, Hailey Menges, Amelia Menges, and Weston Beining.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and one grandchild, Paul Greet.
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