The Burbage Family has been serving Worcester County, MD since 1810.  At present, The Burbage Funeral Home is the longest running - continually operational, family owned funeral home in the State of Maryland.

What began as a simple service of making caskets in the small town of Berlin, has grown into a full service funeral home in two locations, providing family services, funeral services, and memorial manufacturing to the communities in Worcester County. The Burbage family has been "family" to the community for nearly 200 years.
 

Marianne "Anna" Adkins Burbage

Anna was known for her compassion and sensitivity, and ability to embrace and comfort those in the Berlin community that had lost loved ones, as well as provide a dignified funeral service with efficiency and affordability.  In the early days she often traveled many miles with her husband to the homes of the deceased in order to prepare the body, assist the family and make funeral preparations.

Like the Burbages before her, Anna was woven into the fabric of the community, offering service that reached beyond the funeral business.  In 1909, at the age of 16, Anna began a professional career as a manual arts instructor, perhaps the only female teacher of this type in the State of Maryland, working in Berlin, Pocomoke and Stockton.  It was at this time that she became interested in aiding children, an interest that continued throughout her life.  She will always be remembered for her compassion as well as her personal and financial contributions to Worcester County.

For more than 30 years Anna provided lifesaving care and services to the needy of Worcester County.  She bought and maintained the only ambulance in Berlin and provided medical equipment (crutches, wheelchairs, hospital beds, etc.).  She also donated food, clothing and her time to those in need.

What Anna began as a small, caring gesture of hospitality for bereaved families continues today at the Burbage Funeral Home.  Anna began providing each bereaved family with a homemade cake and coffee to share after visitation or funeral services.  Today that tradition continues.  Each family retaining the services of the Burbage Funeral Home is served a homemade cake baked especially for them.

In 1985 Anna passed away at the age of 92.  The Burbage Funeral Home passed into the responsible hands of her grandson, Kirk Burbage, who has expanded the Funeral Home to a second location in the Town of Snow Hill.  Kirk  continues Anna's legacy today by providing the families of Worcester County with compassionate and quality service that reaches beyond the boundaries of good business practices, treating customers as "family", and seeing to the individual needs of those that have lost loved ones.

Pictured to the left is John W. Burbage, beloved husband of Anna Adkins Burbage and grandfather of the current owner of The Burbage Funeral Home.