Paul Dean Burke

Paul Dean Burke, aged 87, passed away on Saturday, May 31, 2014. Paul was born on August 1, 1926 in Dexter, Missouri. He attended Dexter High School and The University of Missouri before he was drafted and proudly served his country in the United States Army. He completed his basic training at Camp Gordon in Georgia and was a member of the 116 Military C.P.L. Police Battalion stationed out of Washington D.C. Additional time was spent at Ft. Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan where he received sharp shooter and karate training, before heading to Korea for the war. After the war he served as an M.P. at the airbase in Okinawa. Paul married Margaret Lou Stuits on November 11, 1951, and the two soon started a family of their own. He was preceded in death by his parents Clyde and Bertha, siblings James (Margurite), Burrill, Martha and brother-in-law Ned. Surviving Paul are his wife Marge, and their children Janice Lou (David) Dewey, Gary Dean (Candace) Burke, Cheryl Lyn (Terry), Heyboer and Scott Alan (Cindy) Burke; grandchildren David, Bryan, Rachelle, Kristen, Shannan, Victoria, Nichole, Tyler, Grant, Brett; great-grandchildren Alexander, Braydon, Jade, Jorja, Josilyn, Julian, Sloan, Paige, Reid, Gia, Trey and one on the way. Also surviving are siblings Earl (Ruth) Burke, Mable Dino, Velma (Floyd) Glenn, Thelma Sullivan, Ruth (Clifford) Townsend, sister-in-laws Joyce Burke and Henrietta Stuits. Paul will be remembered for his community service including his work with Church, Kiwanis, 4-H, area food banks, the Comstock Park School Board, Oncology picnics, and as a volunteer for numerous high school and college sporting events. Music from the 50’s and 60’s were among his favorites, along with family gatherings, homemade ice cream with hot fudge, real Coke, Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July and his wedding anniversary. He enjoyed golfing, woodworking, gardening, family games, motor homing, camping, fishing and barbequing. He and Marge developed and operated Paradise Cove Trailer Resort in Sand Lake, Michigan, a family oriented get away that created many meaningful memories over the years. Please join the family for visitation on Thursday, June 5, 2014 from 6-8pm at Reyers North Valley Chapel. Additional visitation will be offered at Trinity United Methodist Church on Friday, June 6, 2014 from 10am until the time of Paul’s Funeral Service at 11am. Funeral services are to be officiated by Rev. Jerry Pohly and Rev. Charles Garrod. Interment in Fairplains Cemetery. Memorial Contributions may be made to Stephen’s Ministry of Trinity United Methodist or Friends of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.

Paul Bean Burke was born to Clyde and Bertha Burke on August 1st, 1926 in Dexter, Missouri, 87 years ago. Son, brother, husband, dad, grampa, mentor, adviser, and confidant. Army specialist, church member, business owner, school board member and volunteer - Paul Dean Burke was so many things to so many people.

Dad especially adored my Mother. They met at the Battle Creek USO in January, 1951, where Mom taught him how to dance. Even though Dad was shy, the two of them quickly became friends, and soon after, on July 4th, Dad asked Mom to marry him. During his proposal, he mentioned to Mom that he wouldn't mind have a dozen children of his own. Dad had come from a large family and felt sorry for Mom that she only had a brother and to cousins. Her response to my Dad at that time was that she would have to think about it. It wasn't until Labor Day that Mom finally said yes.

A wedding was planned for Valentine's Day, February 14th, 1952. The date was saved, arrangements were made, and dresses were picked out, but the United States Army called Dad up to serve in Korea, upending those plans. The wedding was moved up to November 11th, 1951, so that they could be married before his deployment. As it turned out, the conflict ended while Dad was en-route, and he was re-routed to Okinawa, where he served as a Military Policeman at the U.S. Airbase there. Long story short, this year, 2014, Dad and Mom would have celebrated 63 years together as husband and wife - a true, long-lasting love and friendship.

Dad came from a family of nine children: Martha, James, twins Earl and Burrill, Ruth, Mable, and the twins Thelma and Velma. He loved being part of a large family, and as I said before, he aspired to having a large family of his own. As it so happened, Dad and Mom ended up with a family of four. Janice Lou, Gary Dean, Cheryl Lyn, and Scott Alan - four children, all born with in four years of each other. The naming of his children was very important to him, including deciding what our middle names should be. As you may have noticed, we've had both our first and middle names printed in his obituary as a way to honor him for the love he showed each of us by thoughtfully helping Mom to name us.

One of my fondest childhood memories is of the times we kids would all jump into bed my Dad and Mom on Sunday mornings. There was a lot of cuddling, tickling, hugging, and jumping going on. The thing that I remember most about these times though was that Dad, who shaved 2-3 times a day to stay "baby butt smooth", grew lots of whiskers overnight, and when we snuggled with him, he'd tease us by rubbing them against our faces. We’d all laugh and giggle, and we would break out singing in unison, "I have a dear old daddy with whom I nightly pray, my dear old daddy's whiskers are always in the way. Oh, they're always in the way, the cows eat them for hay. They hide the dirt on daddy's shirt; they're always in the way, hey". It was a special time for all of us.

Dad valued hard work. Growing up on the family farm in Missouri, he developed a good, solid work ethic, which was essential to his family's well-being. During his childhood, he managed to survive being hit over the head with an ax by his brother James, something about whose turn it was to split the next wood chunk. He was also run over by a farm wagon while trying to hold the wagon-tongue so that his brothers and sisters could climb in, anticipating a wild ride down a long hill that ran alongside the back forty. Dad told me that even though the wagon had broken his back, he pulled himself around inside the house by his arms, and he still managed to do his part to help out taking care of his baby sisters Thelma and Velma while his Mom and Dad and other brothers and sisters were out milking cows, picking cotton and doing other necessary daily chores.

At our first home on West River Drive, he designed and built an addition to our house to extend a bedroom and the family room. Dad did all the work himself. This project earned him a $200 prize awarded by the Home Builders of Greater Grand Rapids for Home Improvement of the Year.

Dad did whatever he needed to do to take care of his family. He worked as a milkman for the Sealtest, driving a horse and cart through the streets of Grand Rapids while the dairy still had a few horse-drawn milk wagons. He would tell us about having a close call when his horse took off down Jefferson Street Hill and ran head-on into the old museum at the bottom.

He drove all over Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio as a salesman for Republic Powdered Metals, sometimes being away from home anywhere from a night to a month in order to make sales. During those times, Mom and we kids would miss him so much. When he'd return from a trip he'd bring us all kinds of souvenirs that he'd tucked away in his suitcase. Every time he came home to us, even from a short trip, we'd joyously celebrate his return.

Dad and Mom purchased, developed, and operated what came to be Paradise Cove Travel Trailer Resort on Sand Lake, our family business, from 1963 to 1982. Dad thrived while he and Mom worked at it. He especially liked working outside; raking leaves, seeding, trimming trees, setting posts, cleaning the beach, and laying sewer pipes and electric lines. I will always have the image in my mind, of Dad climbing an old apple tree in our orchard, with chainsaw in hand, leaning and swinging out over the ground below to trim a branch. He loved a sunny day!

During the winter, he'd sometimes work at Lou DeYoung's Market Basket to help make ends meet. In early retirement, Dad worked as a part-time courier for Union Bank, delivering packages to the various bank branches and making new friends and acquaintances along the way. Dad taught all of us the value of working together, getting our hands dirty, digging in, sticking with it, never giving up, and getting up and trying it again, if we fell - a sort of blessing upon us.

Dad valued community - his friends and neighbors where he lived, along with his church family, both at Second Congregational Church for nearly 60 years and at Trinity United Methodist, joining Trinity in 2009. Community service was important to Dad, too. He was a trustee and president of the Comstock Park School Board. His favorite part of being on the board was giving out high school diplomas. He was especially proud of having the opportunity to hand them to me, Cheryl, and Gary as we graduated. Oh, I do want you to know that Scott did, in fact, graduate and receive his high school diploma, too. It's just that Dad wasn't still on the school board then. Sorry, Scott.

Dad was the 100th member to join the Golden K Kiwanis Club and an American Legion and VFW member. He was a 4-H leader and an avid volunteer, helping at area food banks, hospital oncology picnics and events, high school and college sporting events, and he supported many other causes too.

Dad not only worked hard, but he played hard! He loved to go camping, fishing, motor-homing, and boating. He liked to play games like horseshoes, washers, and board games. He enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening, especially the harvesting. When I was little, I remember seeing him pull up an onion, dust it off, peel it, and eat it like an apple as he went along weeding the garden.

Family gatherings were always his favorite times - giving harvest-time hayrides at Paradise Cove, celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the 4th of July! These were great opportunities to barbecue a beef roast or chicken-in-a-basket, make homemade ice cream, and drink "real" Coke. Birthdays and anniversary parties were opportunities to have cake, chocolate-covered peanuts, and his favorite - chocolate covered turtles.

Dave learned right along with us as we learned to swim, snow and water ski, drive a ski boat, and many other things he'd never done before. We all took a boating safety course together, and Dad took swimming lessons at the YMCA so he could swim along with us. He was a fast and eager learner and was always willing to try new things.

Over the last couple years Dad had been living at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, where he continued to play hard. He would sign-up for every trip and event that was planned. He began playing bingo, washers, ladder ball, and he even did some bowling there. The most enjoyable part of playing came with savoring his bingo winnings and his title as the "King of Bingo" at the Home.

Moving to the VA was difficult for Dad. He told me that leaving Mom and their dog Cuddles and his home was the hardest thing He'd ever had to do in his Life. As time passed though, he made many friends with fellow veterans, their families, doctors, nurses, and caregivers alike. He was particularly fond of Stacey, the activities director, and Diane, one of his favorite nurse-caregivers. At lunch and dinner time, he ate at a table with his comrades, sharing memories and stories about military experiences, childhood, and the family. Everybody at the VA seemed to know his name and he knew all of theirs.

As each of us kids dated the people we became engaged and married to, Dad was there to meet them, and he loved each of our spouses - Dave, Candace, Terry, and Cindy and he and Mom were excited about the prospect of having grandchildren.

Those grandchildren were Dad's pride and joy. David, Bryan, Rachelle, Kristen, Shannan, Victoria, Nichole, Tyler, Grant, and Brett were all blessings to him, all ten. Grampa followed their every move from the day they were each born. He participated in their wherever and whenever he could, from changing diapers and babysitting them, to baptisms, pre-school, kindergarten, high school and college graduations. He was there for ball-games, gymnastics, special awards and honors celebrations, and many other milestones in their lives. Of course, this also included keeping up with their friends, their teammates and classmates, their girlfriends and boyfriends, engagements, weddings, and the birth of their children. Dad often exclaimed how blessed and grateful he was to have such a large, loving family.

If grandchildren were Dad's pride and joy, then his great-grandchildren were his Sun and Moon. Alexander, Braydon, Jade, Jorja, Josilyn, Julian, Gia, Sloan, Paige, Trey, and Reid were all his most precious treasures. These great-grandchildren brought a twinkly to Dad's eye, a smile to his face, and a special kind of joy to his heart. He took great comfort in knowing that the best of him would live on through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Over Dad's lifetime, he has made a difference in many people's lives as a son, brother, soldier, husband, father, grampa, great-grampa, friend and neighbor. Dad loved greatly, was loved greatly, and will be missed greatly.

Throughout my life, Dad has asked me to sing him many a song. Before Dad was taken to the hospital this last time, he asked me to sing him a particular song, and I did. The last song he requested wasn't maybe what you'd expect, but I think it expresses exactly how my Mother and our family feel about our beloved Paul, husband and father. This is to you Dad from all of us. "Skiddamarink-a-dink, a-dink, skiddamarink-a-do, we love you. Skiddamarink-a-dink, a-dink, skiddamarink-a-do, yes we do. We love you in the morning and in the afternoon. We love you in the evening and underneath the moon. Oh, skiddamarink-a-dink, a-dink, skiddamarink-a-do. We love you, and we ain't kiddin', we love you".

We Love You Dad.