Paul E. Burke's Obituary
Mr. Paul E. Burke, age 94, passed away Monday, January 11, 2016 in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He was born the youngest of ten children in Muskegon on July 22, 1921 to Emil A. and Hilma (Stone) Burke. Paul was a graduate of Muskegon High School and Muskegon Community College. He was a veteran of the United States Army and had served in WWII. One of the highlights of his military career was being part of President Eisenhower’s cryptography team that was present at “The Little Red Schoolhouse” when the declaration to end WWII was signed. After his service to his country, Paul had worked as an engineer at Brunswick Corporation, Continental Motors, American Motors, and lastly Chrysler before his retirement. He was a member of Grace Church of West Ottawa and was passionate about missionary outreach and loved sailing. He could often be found sailing on local lakes with his children or grandchildren. On May 15, 1942, Paul married the former Phyllis Stewart in Muskegon and she preceded him in death on August 15, 2008. They were married for sixty-three years, and he remained devoted to her care in her later years. He is survived by two children, Paul A. (Sheryl) Burke and Shelly J. (Dan) Beach; five grandchildren, Jessica (Mosiah) Wilson, Nathan (Allison) Beach, Brian (Christy) Burke, Keri (Eric) Sorenson and Andrew (Kate) Burke; eight great-grandchildren, Josiah, Kia, Gabriel, Liam, Keira, Kyler, Isabella, and Abigail. In addition to his wife, Paul was preceded in death by his parents, five sisters and four brothers. SERVICES will be at 2:00 PM Saturday, January 16, 2016 at The Walburn Chapel, 1547 W. Sherman Blvd., 231-759-8565, with Rev. Howard Casey officiating. VISITATION will be one hour prior to the service. For a more lasting MEMORIAL, please consider Music for the Soul (PO Box 159027 Nashville, TN 37215-9027). Burial will be in Norton Cemetery.
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