Obituary of John Burke

John (Jack) Burke of Rocky Hill, CT; formerly of the "The Villages" in FL. and New Britain, CT died peacefully on May 29, 2016. He was born in New Haven in 1921, the youngest child of the late William and Margaret (Doyle) Burke. Jack knew he was fortunate and blessed to be married for 39 years to the late Dorothy (Shanley) Burke and for 19 years to the late Elizabeth (Sutherland) Condren Burke. He was also predeceased by his siblings: Margaret (Burke) Boswell, Mary (Burke) King, Harry Burke, Joseph (Bud) Burke and William Burke. He is survived by his three daughters and their husbands - Katie and Tom Baker of Readfield, ME, Ellyn and Rob Panapada of Milford, CT and Margaret and Chris Coates of Wethersfield, CT. He is also survived by his five grandchildren - Marc Panapada, Drew Panapada and his wife Marci, Morgan (Coates) Curry and her husband Ryan, Ryan Coates and John Coates; his three precious great granddaughters Brynn and Kate Panapada, and Rowen Curry. In addition, he is survived by his sister-in-law Bette (Shanley) Dinnan, many nieces and nephews and the Condren family. Jack graduated from Syracuse University. He brought enthusiasm and an exceptional "can-do" work ethic to the positions he held as accountant and controller. He retired as CFO of Reflexite Corporation in New Britain - a role he relished and enjoyed. He proudly served in the Amphibious Reconnaissance Company of the Marine Corp in WWII. He saw action many times in the Pacific Theater including Iwo Jima - receiving numerous commendations, medals, a silver and bronze star. Jack loved sports his entire life - enjoying tennis and paddle-ball when younger then swimming, bocce and golf. He was still able to enjoy golf and swimming through last fall. He also was an avid sports fan especially for his favorite New York Yankees and any Syracuse team. Jack's being the man he is, he wrote the following: "This will probably seem strange, I am Jack Burke (the dead guy) who has written his own obit. Why? Well, I've always wanted to have the last word and this is an opportunity. My life has been long (very) and I enjoyed every minute. Of course, there were highs and lows. Sinatra would say "that's life". The truly unbelievable love and care given unselfishly by my daughters Katie, Ellyn, and Margaret must not be overlooked. When you are reading this obit, I plan to be playing golf at Heaven's Country Club, the greens are smooth as glass and the holes are 12 inches in diameter. There is one rewarding thing about dying; I now know something no living person knows! Love all of you. Enjoy Life Guys!" Jack and his daughters extend special thanks to the team at Atria GreenRidge Place in Rock Hill. They showered Jack with respect, friendship and love for the past five years. The family is also deeply appreciative of the care provided to Jack by Hartford HealthCare at Home-Hospice care and the wonderful care given by Independence at Home. Friends and family are invited to a Mass of Christian Burial Thursday at 10:00 AM (June 2, 2016) at St. Maurice Church 100 Wightman Road New Britain. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visitation will be Wednesday from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the Farrell Funeral Home 110 Franklin Sq. New Britain. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friends of Fisher House PO Box 575 c/o the Creed Law Firm LLC, Bristol CT 06010. A charity that benefits veterans and their families.