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William J. Burke Jr.

1935 - 2020

William J. Burke Jr. obituary, 1935-2020, Acton, MA

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Acton Funeral Home

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Acton, Massachusetts

William Burke Obituary

William Joseph Burke Jr., of Acton, MA, age 85, passed away on October 20, 2020. Born in 1935, in Newton, MA to Grace (McMullen) and William Sr. He and his wife Hsiao-hua (Kuo) met at Rice University, Houston, Texas and had been married since 1973. They have three children and five grandchildren; daughter Elaine (son-in-law James Glover, and granddaughter Annabelle) of Rome, Italy, daughter Maddy (son-in-law Bryan Gothie, granddaughter Kaleigh, grandsons Max and Sam) of Sudbury, and son Billy (daughter-in-law Elyse, granddaughter Leila) of New York. The five grandchildren have been his pride and joy. He is also survived by his brother James (former sister-in-law Jane), sister Patricia Shea (brother-in-law George), sister-in-law Sandra, and many nephews, nieces and cousins. He is predeceased by his parents, sister Virginia and brother John. Bill earned his Ph.D. from MIT in 1971 with a doctoral dissertation entitled "A Theoretical Investigation of Small Scale Auroral Zone Electric Fields and Their Relation to Particle Precipitation Patterns". From 1971 through 1975, he conducted postdoctoral research on Apollo measurements of the lunar plasma environment at Rice University, Houston Texas and on microwave emissions from natural surfaces at the NASA Johnson Space Flight Center. Since joining the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in 1975 he worked on the analysis of space plasma and fields data from many Air Force and NASA satellites. He is internationally recognized for his significant contributions to the understanding of the space environment and the hazards impacting the operation of Air Force space systems. His technical publications over four decades address a wide range of topics concerning near-Earth space plasmas, spacecraft interactions with natural and artificial environments, and the effects of man-made perturbations on local distributions of energetic particles and electromagnetic waves. Although he published over 250 scientific papers, getting published was not his primary goal. "Writing is important," he liked to say, "not just to publish, but to help understand what must really be happening to explain our measurements." Bill never quite retired from physics research. After AFRL, he worked part time at Boston College Institute for Scientific Research, with his most recent papers published in 2019 and another submitted in 2020. He was recently awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation furthering space physics research. In his spare time, Bill enjoyed golf, which he regarded as a game of physics of imparting random impulses to spherical objects and contending with the unexpected consequences of errant trajectories and aerodynamic misbehavior. He enjoyed the annual family trip to Aruba. Bill relished taking revenge on his children by teaching his grandchildren to be naughty. He also loved gardening and yardwork. He proudly mowed both of his lawns in Acton and Cape Cod until 2019. Due to Covid-19 restrictions a private mass will be celebrated in St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, Acton, MA. For life story, directions or to leave an online condolence visit www.actonfuneral home.com.

Published by The Boxborough Beacon from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2, 2020.
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Bill, you were a loving friend and mentor, a warm heart, and wonderful husband and father. Thank you for being strong when i was weak, and for our wonderful talks. Each time I would visit you and Hsiao-hua, I would leave wanting to be a better person. I love you both. God Bless You, John Courtney

John Courtney

Friend

November 5, 2020

Karen Grasso

October 30, 2020

Very sorry to hear news. I had an opportunity of having discussions with him on many research topics. That now is engraved in memory. My condolences to the family.

Dev Joshi

Coworker

October 27, 2020

We were saddened to read about Bill's passing. It was heartening to see that he was active until the end. We wish you all well.
David and Ann Chang

Ann Chang

Friend

October 26, 2020

Bill was a good neighbor and a friend, I loved and cherished our time together talking politics and middle eastern culture. You will always be in my memory and heart Bill RIP my friend, and my sincere condolences to the entire family.

Samir Hanna

Neighbor

October 25, 2020

To the entire Burke family, I send my love, prayers and assurance that Bill now enjoys the "Fullness of Life" promised to us all in St. John's gospel.

As a Fellow Jesuit, Bill will be remembered as a brilliant, warm, kind, wonderfully human being. He was truly "an Ignatian Man for Others."

Warmly,

Charlie Hegarty
[email protected]

Charlie Hegarty

October 22, 2020

Bill was a wonderful neighbor. Every time I passed by his and Hsiao-hua's house, whether I was walking, driving, or riding a bike, Bill would always pause his game of golf on the front lawn to smile warmly and wave at me. The Vanderbelt Road community will miss him.

Elliot

Neighbor

October 22, 2020

Thierry Copie

October 22, 2020

We will always remember Bill as a kind, fun spirited member of our group of friends in our cherished get-together-and-catch-up dinners. It is with great sadness that we offer our condolence, sympathy, and prayers to Hsia-hua and the rest of Bill's family. Bill's departure from our world leaves a void in heart.

Thierry and Catherine

Friend

October 22, 2020

BIll worked with us on research at UMass Lowell's Space Science Lab. He was always smiling and laughing. He was a kind, sweet gentleman that will be remembered fondly. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Lynne Schaufenbil

October 22, 2020

I am so sorry to hear about the families loss of one of their loved one.May the families hearts ♥ be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times the family shared together with the dear loved one lost in death.As the family cherished a wonderful life that was well lived and loved by families and friends.My deepest sympathy and condolences goes out to the families during this very difficult time of deep sorrow and pain.
-GP/LM

October 22, 2020

a loved one

October 21, 2020

William (Bill) was an outstanding scientist and a wonderful teacher. It was always a pleasure to talk to him about one of his papers and you always came away understanding more about it!

Dr. Sunanda Basu

Coworker

October 21, 2020

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