Elaine Burke

Broken Bow, NE- Elaine Burke age 79 of Broken Bow died Saturday September 11, 2010 at her home in Broken Bow. Funeral services will be held Tuesday September 14, 2010 at 10:30 AM in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Broken Bow with Father Jim Hunt officiating. Burial will be in the St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery with Govier Bros. Mortuary of Broken Bow in charge of the arrangements. Visitation will be held Monday 8 AM to 5 PM at Govier Bros. Mortuary. A rosary service will be held Monday evening at 7:00 PM at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Memorials have been suggested to St. Joseph’s Altar Society. Elaine (Koenig) Burke was born December 11, 1930 at the hospital in Spencer, Nebraska. She was the youngest of 12 children born to Adam and Nora (Ritz) Koenig. Elaine spent her childhood in Spencer and graduated from Spencer High School, as did all of her other siblings. Adam and Nora were not able to provide many material gifts for their children, but worked to instill strong faith, high regard for education, honesty and a strong work ethic. Elaine married Dean Burke in 1950. They made their home in Spencer; O’Neill; Santa Anna, California; and Lexington, before settling in Broken Bow in 1963. During this time, Dean worked for Northwestern Bell, with the exception of two years during which he served for the Marine Corp in Korea. As a couple they enjoyed dancing to Big Band music, laughing, and raising their children. Eleven children were born to this union, three of whom died in infancy. She always believed that raising her children was the most important role she filled. Elaine worked in a variety of places, including Dion’s Bakery, Joy’s Restaurant, ASC Office and Krotter Company in Spencer, and K N Energy in Broken Bow. Elaine enjoyed sewing, baking, gardening, cross-word puzzles and collecting snowmen. She sewed most of her grand-children’s Baptismal gowns and hundreds of pairs of pajama pants were given for Christmas over the years. Saturday morning coffee and rolls was a long standing event that kept the family close. She was particularly pleased that several of her grand-daughters learned to bake rolls and plan to continue the tradition. Another loved tradition included decorating christmas cookies on the day after Thanksgiving. Later in life, Elaine enjoyed traveling with her friend, Irene, with whom she shared great friendship and much laughter. Elaine was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Her church family in Broken Bow was also of great importance to Elaine and they were one of the main reasons she enjoyed living here. She was very active in the Altar Society and enjoyed helping with church functions. She began and ended her day giving thanks to God and praying for her family and those in need of prayer. Daily Mass and praying the Rosary were significant parts of her life. She believed that service to others was a way of serving God. Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, Dean; three infant children; her mother and father; seven brothers, Lawrence, Alphonse, Albin, Vincent, Gregor, Bernard, and Norbert; and three sisters, Auralia; Leona; and Doris. She is survived by one sister, Clara Albert of Santa Barbara, CA; and eight children and their spouses: Michelle Embree of Graham, North Carolina, Ann & Jeff Kawata of Broken Bow, NE, Mike & Diane Pavel of Kearney, Mary & James Miller of Broken Bow, Mike Burke of Scottsbluff, Jody & Carey Mattox of Broken Bow Shawn & Becky Burke of Sutherland, and David & Tami Burke of Gretna Elaine is also survived by 29 loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed attending all of their activities, including sporting events, music recitals, and speech meets. Elaine was especially proud that she shared her birthday with two of her grandsons, Brandon and Noah. Casey (Jenny) Embree Dana (Matthew) Epps Kolby Embree Jennifer (Paul) Muzquiz Kathleen Kawata Jeremy, Rebecca, Logan, & Rylan Miller Nicole (Sean) Fisher Brandon, Jessica, & Jason Burke Lindsey (Josh) Booker Seth Mattox Shelbi, Josie, and Morgan Burke Taylor, Hayley, Noah, & Mia Burke Ryan & Jadyn Anderson Great-grandchildren: Ava & Harper Embree; Michael & Annastyn Fisher; Christian Paul Muzquiz. Broken Bow, NE- Elaine Burke age 79 of Broken Bow died Saturday September 11, 2010 at her home in Broken Bow.