Burt Faure April 27, 1955 - May 10, 2025 Burt was born to French parents in New York City in 1955. Shortly thereafter, the family moved back to France, where Burt, along with his younger sister, Laurence, attended boarding school. In that boarding school, Burt met Noelle, the love of his life. They married in 1982 and shared forty-three wonderful years together. Burt entered business school, and after graduating, moved back to the United States, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he started his career in the Trading Department (exports and imports) at International Multifoods, a foodstuffs company. Happenstance led the company to venture into the seafood business, resulting in Burt's transfer to New Bedford, Massachusetts, the largest seafood producing city in the U.S. There, Burt oversaw production and sales of seafood items destined for European customers. He found suppliers of these items in many places, traveling extensively around the coastal cities of North and South America. Building on those experiences, in 1988 Burt partnered with Joel Kolen to acquire Empress International Inc. (of Port Washington, New York), a company specializing in the import and distribution of frozen seafood to restaurants and supermarket chains. Burt and Joel had complementary skills, worked very well together, and built a very successful company, which they sold in 2003. Burt lived life to the fullest; he believed in “front-loading” experiences, because time was precious and there would never be enough of it. He loved traveling the world with his wife and daughters, whether it was scuba diving, skiing, hiking, or jumping into the waters off Antarctica. Burt believed in finding and pursuing passions and was always curious and interested in understanding how things worked. He was especially good at putting things in perspective. He was known for his fun-loving spirit and generous nature. Whether sharing a well-timed joke or simply offering his time or wise advice, Burt had a gift for making people feel special. What mattered most to Burt, above all else, was his family. He was endlessly proud of his daughters (Nathalie and Valerie), his daughter in law (Leigh Ann), his grandchildren (Sophie, Jack, & Alexander), and of course his dear wife Noelle. Burt was the steady center of his family. Burt worked hard to earn an expected long retirement. But shortly after leaving work, he was struck by cancer and then by Parkinson's disease. He did his best to fight them, but inevitably, his condition worsened. As was his nature, he never gave up. Despite the tireless efforts of himself, his wife and his family, and the support of many friends, the inevitable finally came and took him away. Burt leaves behind a legacy of laughter, warmth, and a life well-lived. He is sorely missed.