Contributions to the tribute of Barbara Veronica Burke

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Sarah Fogerlie lit a candle

Saturday, February 27, 2021

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Peggy Roach posted a condolence

Friday, February 26, 2021

My deepest condolences on your loss. Sending love and prayers to the entire Burke Family❤️❤️❤️

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Patti Voska lit a candle

Thursday, February 25, 2021

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Patti Voska posted a condolence

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Mom was born and raised on the Northern tip of Manhattan in an area known as Inwood. She was quite proud of being a born and bred New Yorker and loved to reminisce with anyone who knew the area. Her grandparents (Alice & Oscar) were immigrants from Sweden that came over through Ellis Island and settled in NY. Her father was an electrician and she loved tinkering with him and eventually became pretty handy! A favorite past-time for mom was rowing on the Hudson River with her brother Roy when they were young. She was quite proud of the arm muscles she developed, and kept for the majority of her life. We can all attest to her strength by way of the stinging knuckleballs we would sometimes receive at the dinner table if misbehaving. It was her brother Roy, who was 6 years older, who gave mom the nic-name of “Suki” that stuck with her for life. The story goes that he introduced her to his friends as “Suki” because her eyes were little slits when she smiled or laughed and so he told them she was Chinese and her name was Suki! Our brother Tommy heard about this and quickly jumped on the bandwagon, and soon all of us just knew mom as “Suki.” That’s how the cards are written and how the calls are answered! She met my dad at the age of 13 for the first time. They would see each other at dances, and I am pretty sure mom played a little hard to get. In fact, she has told us, she almost got engaged to someone else but my dad was pretty persistent. He asked her to wait for him until he got out of the service and she did. My dad carried the same photos she gave him then, until the day he died. He always thought she resembled a young Rita Haywood and carried a photo of Rita also, to show people the similarity. In fact, after my dad passed, I took the photos from his wallet along with a few others I collected, and made a collage for everyone in the family - unbeknownst to me that one of the photos was actually not my mom – but rather Rita! Now, Rita Haywood is also in the midst of our parents collage as I could not tell the difference! Aagghhh! My parents had a lifelong romance that lasted through 55 years of marriage. They loved New England and road trips to various NE states – Maine being one of mom’s favorites. She enjoyed the ocean, the beach, and the lobster! Dad indulged her in any way he could. She was royalty to him and he treated her well and tried to spoil her as best he could in their later years. He was always trying to make up for years of hard times. Like many widowers, my mom was never the same once dad passed and seemed to lose her purpose. I guess when you spend that much of your life with one person the two become one. It was not all love, all the time- that is for sure. When we “kids” get together, there are always stories told of the good times - vacations in Maine and Vermont, family holidays, as well as the chaos created by 6 kids. Of course, there are also the stories of the colossal fights that ended with baked potatoes being thrown at each other in the back yard and mom climbing over the fence to get away! Then, there was dad’s never ending attempt at making up with mom and his constant plea of “Barbara, can we be friends? Barbara, shake my hand and c’mon let’s be friends now!” My dad hated to go to bed angry, but anyone who knew our mother at all, knows that she is one tough cookie!! If she decides she is not ready to forgive and forget, boy can she hold a grudge. There is nothing you can do but wait. Mom was a saint who endured a fair amount of torture from us kids. She was the easiest person to scare, and we loved to torment her! She wasn’t afraid to go after us if we went too far, but we didn’t always take her seriously which made her even more mad. You could not speak ill of America, the Labor Unions, or the Yankees in her presence without getting an earful. She was an avid sports fan and still watched the games long after dad passed. She was not a fan of “he who shall not be named” and would gladly tell you so! She enjoyed staying up late to catch the 11:00 news and read the paper everyday to keep up on the woe’s of the world until she could no longer read. She enjoyed a discussion with anyone who would engage her in current events, and hated sitting at a table with “the old “fuddy-duddy’s” as she called them – the seniors who spoke little and seemed not to have any opinions. She was an incredibly strong woman who raised strong women. She fawned over her boys, although wouldn’t admit it! She was our salvation when dad (a.k.a. the German General) was being unreasonable, and she was our confident when we came home from school. Somehow she managed to raise 6 kids, with only one car and still keep the house picked up and the fridge stocked. Her life was not always easy, but I believe it was well-lived and full enough for her. She didn’t complain often of things we didn’t have and managed to make the budget stretch far enough. She made unintentionally inappropriate comments at times and wasn’t perfect by any means, but she managed to make the holiday’s and special occasions perfect for us. After 11 years she is back in the arms of Dad and hopefully she is at peace…love you Suki!

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Kelly Fogerlie uploaded photo(s)

Thursday, February 25, 2021

After many years finally got mom to visit us in Arizona back in 2018. It was a special time for me and my family. I was honored to be able to show Suki the splendor of Sedona topped off by a night at Sound Bites where a former cop from NY played all her favorites...and flirted with her too! She enjoyed the music and special attention too. Love you mom!

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The family of Barbara Veronica Burke uploaded a photo

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Barbara Veronica Burke

1934 - 2021

Celebration of Lilfe

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS