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05/05/2020 03:30 PM

Fundraiser for Local Father, Coach, Businessowner Lost to Coronavirus Raises Over $30,000


Douglas Burger died April 9 at age 55 due to complications from the COVID-19 virus.Photo courtesy of Taylor Burger

Doug Burger, who many knew as the longtime owner of the Hammonasset Service Station at the corner of Scotland Avenue and Boston Post Road or as a dedicated softball and lacrosse coach in Killingworth, is being remembered by in hundreds in the community after his unexpected death due to COVID-19 last month.

Burger, 55, was hospitalized on April 4 and immediately put in the ICU due to the coronavirus, according to his family. After Burger’s passing on April 9, his daughters Taylor and Kolby Burger said they had received a huge outpouring of community members hoping to help the family.

With no way of holding any kind of a celebration of life or gathering during the pandemic, they set up a GoFundMe account, which has raised more than $30,000 from more than 450 donors in under a month.

Taylor Burger said she was “forever grateful” for how the community has supported her family and remembered her father during this time.

“Not a day goes by that I do not think of all the memories that we had with our dad, that I am lucky enough to carry on for the rest of my life. He will be missed by so many people,” Burger said.

Doug Burger was also known for his participation in local sports, serving as a coach for many years, overseeing the athletic careers of his daughters and son Nickolaus, according to Taylor Burger. Even when he wasn’t coaching, he was her and her siblings’ number-one cheerleader, Burger said.

“Sports united us as a family,” Burger said.

As the owner of the Hammonasset Service Station for 25 years, her dad worked hard for his family, Burger said, telling them “every single dollar I make is for my kids,” according to Burger.

Burger said she and her siblings learned from that attitude, and saw how much respect and love it brought her father from the Madison community and beyond.

“He was just that special and loved by so many,” Burger said.

To donate to the GoFundMe in honor of Doug, visit www.gofundme.com (search: “Burger Killingworth”).