Josephine Burke

Josephine "Jo" Burke Wonderful mother and grandmother, devoted wife, proud Rotarian, and active, independent octogenarian, left this world on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, with her family at her side. Her peaceful passing was a final act of grace and generosity, for which her family will always be grateful. Jo was born on October 11, 1926 in San Francisco, California, daughter of William Hendrickson, Jr. and Amanda McNear. She spent a happy, fortunate childhood both in the City and in the country home of her grandparents in Ross, where she and her brother Bill and sister Jane enjoyed riding ponies, swimming, and playing tennis. Jo graduated from The Convent of the Sacred Heart and then attended UC Berkeley, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. Her life changed forever when in the summer of 1945 her father took her to nearby Hamilton Air Force Base to meet a special friend, Bill Burke, a major in the US Army Air Corps. Jo's father had become very close to Bill while they were prisoners in a German prison camp at the end of World War II. When Jo and Bill saw each other it was love at first sight and they were married on March 2, 1946 in Ross, California. Their honeymoon was a cross country trip by car to Bill's posting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The next twenty years were spent living in various parts of the world and the United States as Bill pursued his career in the Air Force: France, Italy, Ohio, Arkansas, Virginia and Hawaii. During these years Jo raised their two children Jackie and William. Jo worked hard to make sure the family, especially her children, felt at home in the new cities and bases to which they were stationed every few years. It was a hard job and she did it well, always active and involved in each new community. In the mid 1960s, Jo and Bill moved to Florida, where Bill began his second career in the Florida land development business. During the next forty years Jo and Bill thrived on the active, outdoor lifestyle that Florida provided and made many new friends. Their social and recreational life centered around the Royal Palm Tennis Club, where Jo was a valuable member of the inter-club women's doubles team. Jo was a fierce competitor who had a pure love of the game. Jo also enjoyed the many evenings spent on the patio of her home, having cocktails and dinner with Bill, neighbors and friends. The tropical lifestyle suited her well. The center of Jo's life for the last few years has been the Rotary Club of Coral Gables. Jo was predeceased by her husband Bill in 2003. She is survived by a daughter, Jackie Burke, her husband Ed Carroll of Vermont, and their sons Todd, Sam, and Matthew Carroll; a son, William Burke, his wife Deborah, and daughter, Kelsey, all of Foster City, a brother, William Hendrickson of San Anselmo; a sister, Jane Reynolds, of Tiburon, California; and many nieces and nephews. They will all miss her dearly. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on April 30th in Miami. Jo will be buried on June 17, at Arlington National Cemetery. Contributions in Jo's name can be made to the Rotary Foundation of Coral Gables, Inc., PO Box 14-1446, Coral Gables, FL 33114-1446.