Gladys Gagos Crane Burke

GLADYS GAGOS CRANE BURKE APR 27, 1921 - OCT 19, 2010 Gladys Gagos Crane Burke, 89, passed away peacefully October 19, 2010 in Sonoma, California. She was born in Fresno, California on April 27, 1921 to George and Akeby Gagos who immigrated from Armenia in 1906. At the age of three, the family moved to Modesto where her father began as a foreman for various ranches in that area later becoming the owner of several ranches in the Salida and Modesto area. Gladys attended local schools and graduated from Modesto High School. She attended Modesto Junior College, followed by San Francisco State University where she graduate in 1945. Gladys began her teaching career at John Muir Elementary in Modesto, and because of her musical talents she was hired by the Modesto Board of Education to begin a chorale program and was professor of English at Downey High School. Downy was to be the second high school in Modesto. In the ten years in this position, she developed a choral music program which was soon recognized as one of the finest high school choirs in Northern California. During those years, Gladys took a sabbatical for one year to attend Columbia University in New York City, where she received a Master of Arts Degree in Music Education. In 1956, she was accepted to study in the Department of Voice and Choral Conducting with one of the world's greatest teachers of musicians and composers, Nadia Boulanger at the Ecoles D'Art Americaines at the Palais De Fontainebleau in Paris, France. In 1960, she was recruited by Dr. Harold Youngberg, head of the Music Education Dept. of the Oakland Public Schools, to create the same quality music department in the new Skyline High School. Two years later, she met and married John T. Burke, who at that time was the organist and choir director of the First Baptist Church, which was the first Protestant Church formed in the East Bay in 1856. Gladys gave birth to her son, Gregory Keller Burke in May, 1964. While John now continued his music ministry at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley until 1978, Gladys focused on raising their son and assisting John with the Children's Choirs, as well as her position as conductor of the Orinda Women's Chorus for nine years. In 1978, the family moved to Dallas, Texas, where John accepted a position as Executive Director of The Choristers Guild, an organization devoted to teaching and publishing music for children's choirs with 57 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. When John retired from that position in 1988, and in 1990 returned to California where after six months he was persuaded to become organist-choral director of Trinity Episcopal Church. Through these years, Gladys was a dedicated member of his adult choirs. During their 49 years of marriage, they traveled extensively throughout the world. They led tours through Europe for fellow musicians. For six weeks in 1963, they traveled throughout Japan, and conducted a two week choir camp for the United Protestant Church of Japan in Rifu for high school and college students. They traveled extensively through Turkey and she was the only member of her American- Armenian family who was able to visit her parent's homeland, Bitlis (one of the five original Kingdoms of Armenia). Of all of Gladys' accomplishments, her family, friends, and former students were constantly in her heart and mind, and she loved keeping contact with so many through the years. Gladys is survived by her husband John, her son Gregory, her two grandsons Jonathan and Jason, as well as her nieces Leslie Caldwell, Judith Wilson-Heaphy, Nancey Gagos, Robin Denga, and nephews Mitchell and Kimble Gagos, and her sister-in-law Dianne Gagos. She was preceded in death by her parents, Victoria Wilson and George Gagos Jr. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley at 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA. Graveside services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at Acacia Memorial Park, 801 Scenic Drive, Modesto, CA 95350 with the help of Franklin and Downs Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to Gladys and John Burke Scholarship Fund at the Modesto Junior College, 435 College Ave., Modesto, CA 95350 or The Choristers Guild, 12404 Park Central Dr. Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75251. Inquiries can be made to DUGGAN'S MISSION CHAPEL, 525 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476, (707) 996-3655 or duggansmissionchapel.com www.modbee.com/obituaries