Sadly I never met the man, but I know that without Burton I likely never would've gotten on a board at all.
Like most here I remember my firsts: first lesson, first ride, first carve, all of them on Burton boards. From our shop's LTR's, to riding directional on a Cruzer 164, to getting a taste of alpine and even asym on an Amp 160 and M6 (which I still ride today). Even my first board to call my own was Burton - a Speed 168w, where the bulk of my carving mileage is.
He truly made snowboarding accessible to all, and the best way we can thank him is to keep on riding. Hats off to you Jake.