Dr. Robert E. Burleigh III

On May 11, 2024, Dr. Robert Ellsworth Burleigh entered eternal rest peacefully and in the company of his wife, Susan, and daughter, Kathryn, in Jacksonville Florida at the age of 78. 

He was born on September 18, 1945 to Lillian (nie) Dietrich and Robert Burleigh in Rochester, New York.  He attended West High School where he excelled academically and was a member of the Varsity Football team which cultivated a lifelong love of the sport. 

He had a preternatural understanding and innate kinship with animals and from a young age he pursued his call to veterinary medicine. He graduated from Purdue University and earned his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation he spent a year on rotation at the prestigious Angel Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston and interned at the Delaware Valley Animal Hospital in Pennsylvania. He then moved to New York and completed a combined medical and surgical residency at the Henry Bergh Memorial Hospital of the ASPCA before practicing at the Central and Scarsdale Animal Hospitals in Scarsdale. 

In 1977 he established the Abington Animal Hospital and settled in Jenkintown with his wife Susan and son Robert. There he practiced veterinary medicine for over 40 years with an indefatigable work ethic. The mere prospect of retirement was untenable for him as he adamantly insisted, “They’ll have to drag me outta’ this hospital kicking and screaming.” He was a pillar of his community, serving as a member of the Jenkintown Borough council and president of the Abington Rotary Club.  Rob and Susan relocated to Jacksonville in 2021 to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. There he worked at MuraBella Animal Hospital in St. Augustine where he was overjoyed to continue to practice veterinary medicine without the additional stress of practice management.

Rob was a man of uncompromising moral integrity. His standard of care was solely predicated on achieving the best patient outcome. He was an honest and ethical clinician and for this he was loved and respected by his clients. His decision to become a veterinarian, he confided, was because “I knew I could make the difficult treatment decisions when other people couldn’t.” He was fanatically dedicated to his practice, relishing any opportunity to expand his breadth of knowledge and hone his unparallelled medical expertise.

At first blush his demeanor was ostensibly reserved and abrupt, yet this appearance belied his rich sense of humor. He had an easy and eager laugh, fully emotive and perfectly accentuated by the juxtaposition to his stern façade. 

Rob had a love for movies. He was a rom-com connoisseur if you will, with a penchant for Hallmark holiday movies. What his encyclopedic collection lacked in biting aesthetic, it more than accounted for in volume and could accurately be described as “excessive.”

Rob was a loving father and unwaveringly devoted husband. He and Susan dedicated their lives to the wellbeing of their family. His enduring sacrifices ensured his children every possible opportunity. Passionate about their athletic and academic endeavors, he enthusiastically devoted his limited free time to coaching their teams and attending their games. A paradigm of moral integrity and perseverance, he was an ideal model for them as well as for their peers. 

Rob is preceded in death by his parents Lillian and Robert, his pet duck who was unceremoniously served as family dinner (true story), his bunny Filene and his beloved dogs, Murphy and Muffie “The Wonder Dog.” 

Rob is survived by his loving wife Susan, his three children Kathryn (Mike), Robert (Amanda Bixler) and Michael, and also his four grandchildren Rex, Nash and Bo Freidl, and Bix Burleigh.

Dr. Rob lived by one of his favorite axioms, “90% of life is showing up.” And he always did. Whether achievement or catastrophe he could always be depended upon. While his final wishes had heretofore  been an undignified and rather vague “Just dig a hole and roll me in,” the family has rather decided on a more conventional and traditional ceremony and burial. A funeral service will be held on Friday May 17 at 11 AM at Hodges Presbyterian Church.