Mary Burke

1959 - 2023

Mary JoEllen Burke

1959 - 2023

Mary JoEllen Burke passed away unexpectedly on May 18, 2023. She was born February 20, 1959, in Salt Lake City to Harold R. Burke and Betty Snelling. She married Randy Lee Young (later divorced) May 12, 1978.

Mary was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She moved to California City in 1968 where she was crowned Miss Teen California City. She later moved back to Utah and graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1977.

She attended the University of Utah where she received her Bachelor's degree (1989), Master's degree (1993) and an ABD Doctorate (1996) in Sociology, graduating with Honors. She accomplished all of this while raising her two daughters as a single mom, determined in her education by pursuing her passion of helping others. As a victim advocate for Murray City, she was able to use her gift to help people who fell victim to domestic violence. She was full of compassion and had a huge heart.

She was a devout Christian and a member of Southeast Christian Church. She loved studying scriptures and reading bible stories, her favorite was the story of Esther.

She loved and adored her grandbabies with her whole heart. They loved spending time with their grandma, especially doing crafts and fun activities with her.

Our Mom had the most beautiful voice and loved to sing. Her smile and laughter were contagious. She loved music (especially Sir Elton John) and attended hundreds of concerts throughout her life. She loved the outdoors, camping, hiking, the ocean, traveling, gardening, art, genealogy, baking bread and cookies with her grandbabies, and especially enjoyed taking pictures and capturing every moment. Each year, her grandbabies looked forward to the carried-on tradition of attending the Arts Festival and The Festival of Trees.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents; and best friend, Mary McCay. Mary is loved and survived by her two children: Erica Bentley (Rusty) and Stacey Youngren (Griffin); 9 grandbabies: Tessa, Jake, Isabelle, Kate, Lola, Ruby, Charlotte, Taylor, and Dominic; 1 great grandchild: Luke; 3 sisters: Barbara Burke, Debbie Nordahl, Sandra Plummer; 1 brother: Jim Burke (Debbie). Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on May 31st at Southeast Christian Church located at 1881 E Vine Street in Murray, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to services from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Online condolences may be shared at www.jenkins-soffe.com on Mary's obituary page.