Stephen Arthur Burke

There are so many reasons to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Stephen Burke. His friends, family, and friends to whom he was family gratefully honor Steve: the virtues he could scarcely acknowledge, the faults he sought ever to amend and, above all, the loving spirit with which he lit up so many lives.

Steve Burke was born to Warren and Betty Burke on Sept 23, 1950 in London, Ontario. His family moved to the U.S. when he was a young child. At 18, during the Vietnam War, Steve enlisted in the U.S. Army. He certified as a sharpshooter and served as a helicopter mechanic during his tour in Vietnam. Steve received a variety of awards including three Bronze Service Stars and an Army Commendation Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster.

Steve was known and cherished for his warmth, wit, generosity and intelligence. He did not come from a tightly knit or long-lived family but is grievously missed by those few relatives who were close and dear to him, including his grandson Caleb, his niece Keeley and her husband Bobby. Also struggling with this loss is the great circle of ‘found family’ who were fortunate in being brought together through their mutual love of Steve. While this group is too large to name without omissions, the deep ties of this family are such that Steve planned to share a home in retirement with Janis and Scott, a couple he introduced over 35 years ago.

Steve’s family grew primarily from the community he encountered as a musician. His career as a professional drummer began in Yuma, Arizona before relocating to the Los Angeles area where he worked steadily with the Gerald Ray Band while gaining further experience in area jam sessions. Growing restless in southern California, Steve moved north with fellow musician C.W. Chase. He studied computer science at Cal State Chico, worked in the campus computer center and began spreading his musical roots in northern California. It was during this time that he first played with Steve Hermann and they became the closest of friends.

Steve moved a few miles from Chico to Red Bluff, married Mari Smith and resumed life as a full-time musician. They lived with their devoted dog, Honeybear, in a declining mansion located on a walnut ranch just outside of town. Steve and Mari later divorced and remained close friends.

Steve sought out a healthier lifestyle than that of bar musician and began a 30-year career in long-haul trucking as an owner-operator. He chose Phoenix as his base for those occasional times he wasn’t on the road. Steve travelled for over a decade with his rescue dog CB. After losing CB to old age and mourning for some months he adopted another loyal (and now aged) companion, Freckles. He further managed the innate solitude of life on the road by maintaining personal connections via cell phone, email, and visits during layovers in transit with – or between – loads.

It is a testament to his character that even as a perennial traveler Steve drew in an ever-widening circle of friends. He kept up with music as well as friends, travelling with a drum synthesizer for compactness. In his last few years Steve took up blues guitar, becoming part of a tribe of enthusiasts that gathered all over the country for workshops, jams and retreats. Whenever possible he would also play guitar or fill in as a drummer at open mike jams in clubs as he drove around the country.

Steve lost his life to Covid-19 on the 16th of July 2020.