Dennis Kelley Burke

Cozumel, Mexico.

He was a devoted husband, father, papa and friend.

Dennis was born to Mary Frances Kelley and Lawrence Kevin Burke in Toledo, Ohio.

He spent most of his youth in Marlboro, MA, attending Immaculate Conception and Hudson Catholic High School. He was proud that in his senior year, his football team went undefeated in the regular season and competed in the first ever Eastern MA High School Division IV Super Bowl. He played both offense and defense on that team.

Dennis began college at Stonehill College, where he met Holly Truax, the love of his life. It was the beginning of an amazing journey for them both. Dennis graduated from Boston University, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration cum laude. Shortly after graduation, Dennis and Holly married on June 3, 1978 at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Norwood, MA.

Following their wedding, Dennis and Holly moved to Riverton, WY where Dennis started his career with Amoco. They lived in 8 states in the first 15 years of their marriage, and unexpectedly spent the next 31 in Katy and Cinco Ranch, Texas. Dennis spent 25 years with Amoco/BP in many positions before completing his career as a Certified Manager of Investment Recovery with MMR in 2016.

Dennis and Holly shared 46 wonderful years together, and were blessed with two beautiful children, Shannon Marie and Jameson Kelley. Dennis loved his children unconditionally and was extremely proud of their accomplishments. He spent many hours coaching sports, attending games, tennis matches, band concerts and competitions, and still found time to teach them the important things in life, such as how to body surf and find sand dollars at the beach. Their family happily grew to include their children’s spouses Megan and Shane.

In retirement, he delighted in his grandchildren, Mikaela and Grayson, and was a proud papa to grand dog Kiera. He shared his love of astronomy with them, teaching them at an early age to locate Venus, Mars and constellations.

Dennis and Holly enjoyed traveling the world together, especially if it was paired with a nice Italian dinner and a glass of red wine.

He loved the beach, astronomy, airplanes, and history, especially old pictures. He was frustrated with his golf game in later years but still enjoyed being with his son and friends on the course.

No one worked harder or longer on a project than Dennis, although he often wanted it done in his particular (always the right) way. His children and his friends often called him for household advice, including how to remove a live bird from a dryer. He was a master at packing up a kitchen, assisting his children, especially his daughter move several times. He even packed the priest’s kitchen when they moved into their new rectory.

He was full of knowledge - both from study and life experience. As a young man, he picked apples, worked on a turkey farm, installed carpet, and worked on foundations in cold Massachusetts January weather. He had a great respect for workers, and was known for sharing Gatorade with the neighborhood trash removal crews.

In retirement, he spent many hours as the chair of the Ashfield Gardens neighborhood Clubhouse Committee, working tirelessly to guarantee that his neighbors received the services they should. He was most proud of overseeing the clubhouse renovation following winter storm Uri flooding.

Dennis survived a heart attack and triple by-pass surgery in 2010. The experience made him appreciate every day and alerted his family that he might not always be with us. We are more than grateful for the additional 14 years.

A man of strong faith and prayer, he also spent many hours volunteering at St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear. He worked behind the scenes at the church festival, the SAINTS senior group, even hanging the priest’s pictures in the new rectory. He was always there to support Holly in her many projects.

Dennis had a servant’s heart willing to drop anything to help a friend. He preferred to work in the background, never seeking praise or attention. He was a forever friend to those he chose to include in his circle.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Holly; daughter, Shannon (Shane Montoya); son, Jameson (Megan); grandchildren, Mikaela and Grayson Burke; brothers, Kevin (Rose) and Christopher (Barbara) as well as several in-laws, nieces, nephews and dear friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Kevin Burke.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Faustina Catholic Church Capital Campaign, Building Our Center of Divine Mercy.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 PM on Tuesday, December 10 at Katy Funeral Home, 23350 Kingsland Blvd. Katy, TX. A funeral mass will be held at St. Faustina Catholic Church, 28102 FM 1093, Fulshear, TX on Wednesday, December 11 at 10:45 AM. The mass will be

preceded by a rosary at 10 AM and eulogy remarks at 10:30 AM