Obituary of Joan S Burke

Joan S. Burke, 91, passed away peacefully on February 2, 2018. She was born in 1926 in Orange, NJ to John I. Burke and Marie Burke.  She was welcomed by her beloved older siblings: John, Edward, and Helen. Six months after her birth, her father passed away unexpectedly. With the help of friends and family, Joan’s mother Marie raised the four children  through the Great Depression and World War II; as well as the typical challenges facing a family with four children. They continued to live in the Berwick Street house in Orange. John and Edward saw combat in Europe and the Pacific, respectively and returned back safely.

Joan graduated from Seton Hall University in 1948, with a degree in English. For the next fourteen years, Joan worked in Manhattan and New Jersey in the legal departments of RCA, Schering, and American Insurance Company. When American Insurance was acquired by Fireman’s Fund, Joan moved to San Francisco to continue to work for her boss; who had been named general counsel of the combined companies. She returned to New Jersey three years later, to be closer to family and care for her mother. For the next twenty two years, until retirement, Joan taught in the Florham Park elementary schools. 

Her other priority was participating in the St. Vincent Martyr parish in Madison through a number of ministries. 

Joan is survived by her nieces and nephews: John Burke of Hillsborough, NJ; Jeanne Barnett of Little Falls, NJ; Christine Mc Nichol of Cedar Grove, NJ; Peter Hoymark of Copenhagen, Denmark;  Lise Bertel Hansen of Copenhagen, Denmark; Elizabeth Burke of Nantucket, MA; and David Burke of Los Angeles, CA.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, February 9, 2018 in the chapel at St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly; 140 Shepherd Lane, Totowa, NJ  07512.  Enter the property from the Cumberland Road side; which is one block east of Shepherd Lane.