It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of longtime volunteer and cherished community member, René A. Burdet. René was not only a dedicated member of our program but also a proud volunteer at Sunday River for well over 20 years. He finished out his tenure as a volunteer at Sugarloaf finally retiring after his 90th birthday in 2017. His energy, warmth, and commitment to service left a lasting impact on everyone lucky enough to know him. Whether he was guiding blind and visually impaired skiers down the slopes ,taking his midday naps on the couch down in the Sundance basement or attending one of many “safety meetings” especially at the Matterhorn, René embodied the spirit of adaptive sports — adventurous, compassionate, and always ready to lend a hand. His legacy lives on through many, including his son, Toby Burdet, who continues to carry that spirit forward as Maine Adaptive’ s Sugarloaf Program Manager.
We honor his remarkable life and legacy by sharing the full obituary, written by his family:
René A. Burdet, 98, died peacefully at home in the arms of his loving wife, Katharina, on April 24, 2025.
René was born on March 29, 1927 in Lake Placid, NY to parents, William Burdet and Ruby Burdet-Sissons. His father was from Switzerland and Holland (the Netherlands) and his mother from Canada so they moved frequently when he was young. René attended many primary and secondary schools in Scotland, Switzerland, Holland and Canada before returning to Lake Placid during high school.
The most defining moment of his childhood came at 13 when he and his family had to flee their home in Holland after Nazi Germany invaded in May of 1940. He always recalled the harrowing night the bombing started. They had many near-death experiences during their attempts to escape back to North America, which took many months. They eventually succeeded using their Swiss passports and speaking as little English as possible in front of the German soldiers on the trains. They traveled through Germany, Switzerland, southern France and Spain by train and bus to Lisbon, Portugal. There they booked a flight on the fledgling Pan-American airline in its first year of trans-Atlantic passenger flight and landed safely in New York.
At 17 years old (1944) René joined the US Navy in order to help the war effort. His older brother Allan’s interest in aviation sparked his own, so he trained on aircraft artillery. He was honorably discharged after 2 years when WWII was over.
From there his great love of aviation flourished and he became an avid private pilot until the age of 91. He spent thousands of happy hours soaring through the sky, going on long scenic trips and “buzzing” friends’ and neighbors’ houses in his beloved 1957 Tri-Pacer airplane, affectionately named Susie-Q. He was exceedingly pleased when, in the mid-80’s, he and Katharina bought property in Belgrade where he was able to build his own grass airstrip and fly Susie-Q in and out of their backyard. He only convinced Katharina to agree to this because clearing land for the airstrip gave her the view of Messalonskee Lake she had been dreaming of. (And of course, because she loved him!)
René held many jobs and mastered many occupations throughout his life. He sold cars for General Motors in the 1950’s, he founded and operated his own residential building and design company, Burdet Built, in Connecticut through the 1960’s and early 1970’s, which segued into real estate development and large-scale project management in the 1980’s and 1990’s after moving to Maine. One of his last and most beloved projects was building the MOFGA fairground in Unity where the Common Ground Fair is held every year.
René finally retired in 2001 at the age of 74. This gave him the opportunity to design and help build what he called his “swan song” project — a gorgeous house on the edge of Long Pond in Belgrade. He and Katharina spent more than 20 very happy years there surrounded by all the beautiful features and details René lovingly planned and crafted for them.
René had many passions and hobbies in addition to flying. He was an avid wood-worker, designer and builder right up until the day he died. He spent much of his spare time working in his woodshop on various passion projects — gifts, children’s toys and furniture, boats, home improvement projects and anything else he could think of. He was always problem-solving and tinkering in his head and in his shop. This was a hobby he loved sharing with others in his life — teaching his children/grandchildren and collaborating with other craftsmen whenever he had the chance.
René was a voracious skier and a proud member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America for over 50 years. He even founded The Burdet Ski School in Connecticut in the 1960’s. He very much loved teaching others the finer points of skiing and watching them learn to enjoy the mountains and ski culture as much as he did. Nobody loved an après-ski “Safety Meeting” more than René! He finally hung up his skis at age 90, but he still took great pleasure in seeing pictures of and hearing about his children and grandchildren’s ski days every season. He would always inquire about snow and weather conditions, how many runs were logged, which lifts were operating, etc.
René’s love of the outdoors and his sense of adventure spanned farther than skiing and flying. He was also enthusiastic about bicycling, camping, hiking and international travel. He and Katharina made several bicycle tours in Eastern Canada and Europe, even camping out of a tiny bicycle trailer on a few of them. They traveled the world together joining family and friends all over Europe and in Australia, Singapore, and Thailand. But he was never happier or more at peace than in Switzerland, Katharina’s homeland and that of his father, where he spent some of the best parts of his childhood. Hiking and skiing in the Alps, riding the train through the wine country, flying with his brother-in-law, and visiting his and Katharina’s families were some of the best times of his life. He loved sharing his experiences and family history with his children and grandchildren by taking them along as well. Though he settled in the U.S., he was always very proud of his Swiss citizenship and heritage.
René was always passionate about volunteerism and giving back to his community. He was a dedicated member of Rotary Club International for over 60 years, volunteering thousands of hours to many local causes. He would even seek out weekly Rotary meetings while visiting other countries (often in foreign languages) in order to learn what issues were important to other groups of people around the world and to make connections with fellow Rotarians.
Perhaps his very favorite volunteer position was with the Maine Adaptive Ski Program at Sunday River and Sugarloaf Ski Areas, which he joined in the mid-90’s. There his unique skill set led him to teach blind and visually impaired students how to ski. Through Maine Adaptive he found a life-long community of ski-loving volunteers and participants, some of whom became very close friends over the years. He also volunteered with various local building committees, public trail committees, recycling committees and youth organizations throughout his life.
René valued his family and friends above all else and is lovingly survived by his wife of 50 years, Katharina Burdet, his 4 children and their spouses, son William and Ann Burdet and their children — Benjamin, Steven and Kevin, son René André and Janet Burdet and their children — Deja, Jacob, Jill, Johanna and Jordan, son Tobias Burdet and Melanie Morin and their daughter Aura, daughter Simone Burdet and Tobey Moulton and their children Alina and Gage, as well as his 8 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in René Burdet’s honor to Maine Adaptive Sports and Recreation (maineadaptive.org). A celebration of life will be planned in the near future.
René was the kind of volunteer who made Maine Adaptive more than just a program — he helped make it a community. We will miss his humor, his wisdom, and his spirit on the slopes and in our hearts. Thank you, René, for everything.