Arthur William Burgard was born March 5, 1901 as the second child of Bertha (Rambow) and William Burgard. He was born at the family home at 11609 South Custer Road in Raisinville Township, Monroe County, Michigan.

He married Ella Wilhelmina Hartwig on September 30, 1933 in Wayne, Iowa. She was born December 5, 1904. They had two children.

Arthur continued to work the family farm until his retirement in 1966 at the age of 65. Ella had completed teacher training at Coe College in Iowa. She worked in the purchasing department of River Raisin Paper.

On November 25, 1991, Arthur died at the age of 90 at the Hospice Care Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he had been living with his daughter for 3 weeks.

Ella preceded Arthur in death on December 12, 1990 at the age of 86 in Monroe.