Linda (LiHong) Burdick Star Tribune Article 02-08-2021___CORON AVIRUS
LiHong 'Linda' Burdick, businesswoman
and painter, dies of COVID -19 at 72
By Liz Sawyer (https://www.startribune.com/liz-sawyer/6370533/) Star Tribune
FEBRUARY 8 , 202 1 — 9 :13PM
LiHong "Linda" Burdick spun a rare talent into a successful business.
For 30 years, the master seamstress operated Lotus Cleaners & Tailors in Eden Prairie,
tending to customers' formalwear. Burdick could stitch together an outfit — or a
wedding dress — from scratch and developed an intimate knowledge of her loyal
clientele.
"When people walked in, she knew who they were and she knew exactly how they
wanted their shirts starched," said her son, Keith Bartram of Maple Grove.
Burdick, of Chaska, died Jan. 17
(https://www.swnewsmedia.com/onlinemarketplace/tributes/obituaries/obituary-for-
linda-lihong-burdick/article_92f870fe-5f4a-11eb-acae-ff626e761da5.html) of
complications from COVID-19. She was 72.
Born in Tainan, Taiwan, as the youngest of nine children, Burdick came of age during a
time of great uncertainty in the region. At 21, while working in the cafeteria at a local Air
Force base, she fell for an American GI stationed there during the Vietnam War. The
young couple immigrated to the U.S. in the late '60s.
Burdick settled in Southbury, Conn., and had two children, before separating from her
husband in 1984 — the same year Burdick relocated to Minnesota. She opened one of the
first immigrant-owned businesses in Shady Oak Center, an Eden Prairie strip mall.
Burdick worked 72 hours a week, largely by herself, managing the store. Days sometimes
ran so long that she slept on a mattress under the clothing conveyor belt. On weekends,
her children helped run the cash register, but they were denied the use of a digital
calculator so they learned to count back change by hand. Education always came first.
"She [told me], 'I moved here for you to have all these opportunities. You need to take
advantage of whatever opportunity falls in your path," said her daughter, FayeLin
Bartram, an associate professor at the University of Iowa. "As an adult, I look back and
appreciate how much she pushed me."
By 2014, business casual had largely replaced suit-and-tie culture, so Burdick opted to
sell Lotus Cleaners and retire. That provided more time for her numerous hobbies.
Burdick loved painting, gardening, playing cards, watching Kung Fu movies and listening
to "American Idol" star Clay Aiken. Relatives recall her infectious smile, intelligence and
often blunt nature.
"You always knew where you stood with her," Keith Bartram said. "She wasn't the kind
of woman you could bullshit."
In her later years, she learned new skills through community education classes. During
quarantine, she took up line dancing from home.
In addition to her children, she is survived by her sister, Sue Gay of Eustis, Fla. Services
will be held at a later date.
Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
Liz Sawyer covers breaking news, crime and corrections for the Star Tribune. She previously wrote
about suburban life in the south metro.
P R OV I D E D
LiHong “Linda” Burdick
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liz.sawyer@startribune.com 612-673-4648 bylizsawyer
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