Jack S. Burke
Jack S. Burke, 90, of Butler died Sunday morning while under the gentle care of the VNA Inpatient Hospice.
Born Feb. 4, 1923, in Bridgeville, Pa., Scott Township, he was a son of the late Stratton Burke and Agnes Selvage.
Jack had been a teacher of woodworking and industrial arts for the Butler School District at the junior high school and then at the high school. He retired in 1984 following more than 29 years, touching the lives of thousands of students.
He was a member of the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler, was a Eucharistic Minister at St. Paul, and had been a dedicated VNA Hospice Volunteer. He was a member of the Avion Club and the Good Sam Club and was a life member of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees (PASR). His most recent involvement was active membership of the Order of Alhambra, as well as being a devoted family man.
A veteran of World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps., and as a command pilot he was certified in over 10 aircraft, including bombers and transport planes, logging more than 4,000 flight hours. He finally retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserves in 1982 as a lieutenant colonel.
Surviving are his son, James E. Burke and Maureen Doallas of Arlington, Va.; a daughter, Susan M. Cammisa and Joseph Cammisa of Butler; five grandchildren, Christopher (Elaine Browne) Burke of Arlington, Va., Patrick Burke of Washington, D.C., Michael Burke of Boynton Beach, Fla., Timothy (Heather) Cammisa of Butler and Jolene (Christopher) Fielder of Butler; and two great-grandsons, William Fielder and Finnegan Fielder.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Lottie L. (Kulig) Burke, who he married Feb. 10, 1945, and who died June 24, 1996; three brothers, David, Charles and James; and two sisters, Goldie and Elizabeth.
BURKE — Friends of Jack S. Burke, who died Sunday, May 19, 2013, will be received at the Geibel Funeral Home, 201 E. Cunningham St., Butler, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday at the St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 128 N. McKean St., Butler. Entombment will follow in the Mausoleum of Calvary Cemetery, Butler.In lieu of flowers, his family requests that donations be made to the Order of Alhambra, Jaen Caravan 131, C/O Tim Cammisa, 211 Draper Ave., Butler, PA 16001, or to the VNA Inpatient Hospice, 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA 16001.
