Edward Burke

Edward Lawrence Burke

On November 5, 2014. Edward Lawrence Burke, born August 23, 1924, loving son of Edward Michael and Lillian Lerda Burke, a native of San Francisco, loving brother of Richard Lerda Burke and Lerda Patricia Burke Weaver, both of whom have preceded him in death. Loving uncle of Janet Weaver-Kaufman (Marty), Robert Weaver (Daneen), Thomas Weaver (Vivian) & Scott Weaver (Rochelle), Dr. Lillian Burke, Nancy Horn, Mary Burke (Bob Morgan) & Richard A. Burke (Julia). Loving granduncle of Garry Dormandy (Shelane), John, Jim (Serena), Chris, Carli Weaver-Melendez (Anthony), Vincent, Elaine, Tyler, Jade, Edward, Elizabeth Punger (Gregg), Quinn, Sayer Morgan (Trisha), and Rebecca. He is also the proud great granduncle of James and Kylie Dormandy.
Ed was born at UCSF Hospital in San Francisco. He attended Star of the Sea Grammar School and St. Ignatius High School. In 1942 he entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), of which he remained a member for 25 years and to which he remained grateful for the rest of his life. From 1949 to 1952 he taught philosophy at the University of San Francisco. Thereafter, he spent seven years in Europe, during which time he studied theology, was ordained a priest and obtained a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Louvain, Belgium. In 1959 he returned to the U.S. and taught philosophy, first at the University of San Francisco and later at Loyola University (now Loyola-Marymount) of Los Angeles.
In 1962, he began Postdoctoral Studies in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, after which, he taught there briefly and was licensed as a psychologist. In 1968 he joined the staff of Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute of the University of California, San Francisco. He spent the rest of his professional career there, on the same campus on which he had been born, working for ten years on an inpatient unit for adolescent drug abusers and for the remaining years in the Adult Outpatient Department, of which he eventually became Associate Director. He retired in 1991, as Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry. The love of his life was teaching, and he really never stopped.
During his retirement Ed worked as a volunteer for a couple of years at the St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room in San Rafael. He also devoted his energies to becoming a docent in Western Art at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the deYoung Museum, Golden Gate Park). During his years there he periodically offered tours in French, Italian and Spanish and offered lectures on religious symbolism in Western Art.
Besides his artistic endeavors, he worked for many years as a "Green Guerrilla" i.e. a volunteer for the Marin County Open Spaces Department, clearing the hillsides on King Mountain, Larkspur, of invasive foreign species.
His years in retirement were immeasurably enriched by the companionship of two successive yellow Labrador Retrievers, Giallo and Cisco, neither of whom he trained very well, but both of whom he loved very much.
Throughout his life he spent summers in Rio Nido at the Russian River at his parents summer cabin and more recently at the Weaver family cabin just up the canyon road. He thoroughly enjoyed swimming in the river, playing with the kids and dogs and playing Pedro late into the night. During his years of retirement Ed continued his life-long interests in history, language and art, ready, at a moment's notice, to launch into lecture mode. Ed was a great storyteller and he loved to tell stories, some more than once. He was a classicist in all his tastes: music, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature and speech.
He deeply regrets the wrong he has done to others during his life and is grateful for the love he has received.
He leaves behind a large group of family and friends, whom he loves dearly and leaves with regret but whom he looks forward to seeing again.
A Rosary Service will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30pm at Keaton's Mortuary, 1022 E St., San Rafael. Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 10am at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 114 King St., Larkspur.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Keaton's Mortuary, San Rafael, CA.