LTC Patrick Henry Burke, US Army, Ret. Obituary (1949 - 2022)

Gorham - LTC Patrick Henry Burke, US Army, Ret., 73, died on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at home with his family by his side. He was born on January 2, 1949, in New York City, NY, the son of the late John Nugent Burke, M.D. and Mery Burke. He attended schools in Belgium and New Jersey and graduated from Villanova University in 1970. In 1971, he married Karen Courtney in Medford Lakes, NJ. He earned his MBA from the University of Southern Maine in 1979. He enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1970, graduating from OCS shortly after. While serving in the National Guard, Pat's civilian career was focused in a variety of financial capacities. He entered active duty with the Army in 1987, and he retired in 2004 after 34 years, 4 months, and 4 days! While on active duty, he served in many different roles, including an assignment at the White House in the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and in investigations for the Inspector General. Karen and Pat were high school sweethearts dating for seven years before getting married on June 26, 1971. They were fortunate enough to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary last June. Being together for 58 years, they created an intuitive and supportive bond that often did not require words to be spoken. Pop, as Michael called him, was the proudest parent there ever was. During Michael's early years, he instilled his love for sports into his son. While stationed at the Pentagon, he would routinely drive home to attend as many games as possible. He could be found seated at midcourt or midfield as high as possible to silently stress about Mike's and the teams' performance. Mike was keenly aware that Pop loved him, and it was apparent to all those who saw them interact. Victoria, his granddaughter, was the love of his life. "Appy" loved being her family daycare and shuttling her about to her many activities. As his granddaughter grew up, he made sure he was a part of every aspect of her life. Although she has grown, she will always be his "Tiny." In his free time you could have found him reading his many newspapers, or watching college basketball, especially the Villanova Wildcats. He was also a football fanatic! He loved his Philadelphia Eagles- "Fly Eagles Fly!" He "enjoyed" traveling- well, he loved arriving on vacation anyway! He and his family loved the many cruises they embarked on as well as the frequent visits to St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands. He is survived by his wife, Karen Burke of Gorham; son, Michael of Old Orchard Beach, and granddaughter Victoria. He is also survived by his siblings, Frances (Joseph) Bassett of Leominster, MA; Jay (Karen) Burke of Gray; Mary Ellen (Terry) White of Westbrook; as well as many nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank Northern Light Hospice for their kind and compassionate care of Pat. Bethany, Judy, Mary, and Nicole are definitely angels on earth. Visiting hours will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from10AM-12PM at the Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. A funeral service will follow in the chapel at noon. To view Pat's memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit www.ConroyTullyWalker.com Memorial contributions may be made in Pat's memory to The Travis Mills Foundation, which provides rest and relaxation for recalibrated veterans. Michael will run Travis' 5K on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend in his father's memory, and donations may be made through his fundraising page at https://runsignup.com/michaelburkesfundraisingpage