William Martin Burget

Physician, 86Dr. William Martin Burget, 86, of Beaverton, died Saturday, March 26, 2005, in Beaverton.

Dr. Burget was born July 1, 1918, to George and Lucy Burget in Huntington, Ind. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Portland, where his father taught at the University of Oregon Medical School.

He attended Grant High School and went on to receive his master’s degree in biochemistry from Willamette University. His love for medicine took him to the University of Oregon Medical School, where he graduated in 1944 and was a member of Alpha Omega Omicron, a scholastic honorary. He completed his internship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., and then served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea for two years. Afterwards, he did his internal medicine residency at the Portland V.A. Hospital.

While attending medical school, he married Jeanne Butler Burget; they raised four children in Astoria. She preceded him in death in 1962.

Dr. Burget joined Dr. John Straumfjord in 1949 at the Astoria Clinic, where he served two generations of Astorians for 35 years.

In 1963, Dr. Burget married Betty Lou Tolan, who had three children of her own; she preceded him in death in 1983.

In 1984, he married Dulcie Beryl Scoggin, whose three children were already grown; she survives, living in Portland. After his retirement, they moved to Seaside and stayed until going to Portland for health reasons.

Family members said he loved the small-town atmosphere and caring for his patients and was proud of his large family and his children’s accomplishments. He enjoyed home woodworking and electronics projects, gardening, classical music, reading and traveling.

In addition to his wife, Dr. Burget is survived by two sons, Dean and Jim Burget; two daughters, Molly Burget de Leon and Betsy Burget Privette; four stepsons, Gil, Tod and Tim Tolan and Paul Scoggin; two stepdaughters, Carol Scoggin Ernst and Jeanne Scoggin Finegan; 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.