Bert Randall Ogborn's Obituary
Bert Randall Ogborn, age 62, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 1st, outside his home in Fruitport Township. A lifelong resident, Bert was born in Muskegon, Michigan, on July 12, 1961, to Robert and Delores (Goodman) Ogborn. In 1980, he married the love of his life, Catherine Rose Lutz, in a humble, shoestring wedding. He spent the next 43 years pursuing his dream of becoming a multi-millionaire, but in friendship, Bert was the richest man in town. He died in a tragic accident, perhaps at the apex of his time on Earth, and left for heaven—literally, with a smile on his face. Bert was employed as a draftsman at Howmet and Burke E. Porter, an insurance agent for Equitable, and a technical writer at Structural Concepts. He co-founded Al’s Cleaning Services, which became Edward’s Janitorial, a successful industrial cleaning company with over 30 employees that is available for any quotes or inquiries (see his daughter, Alexis). But it was the side hustles that transformed Bert from a mere man into a legend. His penchant for odd business proposals, bright ideas, and shrewd enterprising has spanned his life since the Ford Administration. Concepts included: mail-in recipes (scalloped pizza potatoes?), selling eyeglass cleaner at the flea market (which accidentally turned the lenses a moldy green), schlepping weight loss pills, dozens of mail-order business startups, flipping used cars, buying old computers, Native American rabbit pelts, abandoned golf ball cleaners, and once purchasing 1,000 pairs of odd-size tennis shoes, which his wife, Cathy, states took “about two years” to resell, one-by-one. But no endeavor took more intellectual grease than his idea for a political trivia game based on talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh. Originally rejected by the titular host, Bert was stalwart to make a conservative board game, later rechristening his project “The Game of Politics”. After nearly two decades of blood, sweat, and tears, Bert shifted the physical project to a digital app, which, incredibly, was finished on the day he died. You can finally download his creative opus at The Game of Politics. Bert was a godly man—principled, humorous, and generous beyond measure. He was joyful, resilient in the face of adversity, boundless in curiosity, and passionate about always learning new talents, trades, or taking on new hobbies or collections of artifacts. Bert was an exemplary father—honest, hardworking, and instilled faith in his children as much as he encouraged hard work. He lived an exemplary and honorable life, acting as a father figure to many kids without dads in the old neighborhood of downtown Muskegon, blessing anyone down on their luck, and lending a hand—or donating groceries, a cell phone, sometimes a car—to any family or neighbor in a time of need. He is survived by his wife, Cathy Ogborn; three children, Rebekah Rose (Marcus); Brandon “Bubba” Ogborn (Jenna); and Alexis Robertson (Austin); three grandchildren, Bodhi Rose McDougald, Maggie Jane Ogborn, and Henry Robert Ogborn; and sisters Julie Luce, Lisa Isaacson, Laura Kelly, and Trudi Ogborn-Batt. Bert is also survived by Albert Tyler Farkas, the best and truest friend a man could ever ask for. Our deepest gratitude to the Fruitport Township first responders: firefighters Brian Meister, Shane Ingersoll, and Troy Lenore, and police officer Josh Wise, whose swift actions saved Cathy’s life and gave everything they could to try to save Bert. A Memorial Service will be held 11:00 AM Thursday, November 9, 2023 with Visitation starting at 10:30 AM at The Lee Chapel of Sytsema Funeral Homes, 6291 Harvey St, Norton Shores, MI 49444 with Rev. Albert T. Farkas officiating. Bert always had his rescue dog, Bob, who miraculously survived the incident, by his side. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to: Big Lake Humane Society, 2640 Marquette Ave., Muskegon, MI 49442. Share your fond or hilarious memories of Bert with the family at their online guestbook
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