Helen Anna Burke

Mrs. Helen Anna Burke, age 90, of Wilmot Twp., Bradford Co., PA, passed away on Sunday morning, June 14, 2020, at the UC Health West Chester Hospital, in West Chester, OH.

          Helen was born August 4, 1929, in Oceanside, Nassau County, New York.  She was the daughter of the late William Henry & Irene Saxton Goldbach.  She grew up in Rockville Centre, NY, and moved to Terry Township, Bradford Co., PA, in 1935.

          She married Harold John Burke, a lifelong farmer, of Wilmot Township, Bradford Co, on June 18, 1946.  He predeceased her on September 13, 1988, after 42 years of marriage.

          Helen and Harold operated the family farm.  After she retired, Helen worked for LD Wood Design in Dushore, PA.

          Helen was an active member of St. Basil’s Church, Dushore, and attended mass at its mission, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Cummiskey, until its closure.

          Helen enjoyed gardening. Like many farm families in the area, she had a large garden every year. She enjoyed fresh vegetables and produce from her garden, and would can and freeze for the rest of the year. Helen also enjoyed baking and made a little extra money baking cakes for parties, birthdays, and weddings for friends and neighbors. Puzzles intrigued her and she usually had a card table with a jigsaw puzzle she was working on set up. When watching TV, she always had a book of crossword or seek-a-word puzzles nearby.

Helen also enjoyed movies. Over the years she collected over a thousand movie videos. It wasn’t unusual to see her dozing off as the final credits rolled on the screen. Helen was fascinated by elephants so she decorated her home with elephant figurines and often wore a brooch with elephants. She enjoyed seeing new places, whether it was going out shopping, running the local roads, taking a road trip with her girls to the Midwest, or visiting them wherever they would move. Family was the most important thing to her. Nothing made her face light up like a family gathering, especially when there were new little ones.

Surviving:

Four daughters:

Kathleen (Donald) Salsman                    West Chester Township, OH

Maureen (Grant) House                           Jenningsville, PA

Barbara (Kevin) Kunkle                          Sugar Run, PA

Susan (Thomas) Burns                            Seabrook, TX

Seven grandchildren:

Jennifer Salsman Bayshore

Ann Salsman (Dr. Jon) Cohron

Linda Mapes (Igor Tyurekov)

Diane Mapes Lantz (Randy Coolbaugh)

Kenneth (Lisa) Mapes

Kimberly Burns (Jason) James

Lizabeth Burns (Justin) Meinhardt

Eleven great grandchildren:

Samantha Shiner

Joshua Cohron

Jacie Whinnery

Jordan Whinnery

Alex Lantz

Mckenna Mapes

Kenneth Mapes

Riley James

Gabriel James

Patrick Meinhardt

Gwenyth Meinhardt

        A Transferal Service will be held on Friday, June 26, 2020, at 10:00 A.M. from the Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA, and will be followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 A.M. at St. Basil’s Church, Dushore, PA, with the Rev. Thomas J. Major, her pastor, presiding.  Interment will follow in St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery, Cummiskey, PA.

        Friends and family may call on Thursday, June 25^th, 2020, from 4:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. at the funeral home.

          Funeral Services of Mrs. Helen  Anna Burke, age 90, of West Chester, OH, formerly of Wilmot,  PA, were held from the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA,  followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 A.M. in St. Basil’s Church, Dushore, PA, with the Rev. Thomas J. Major, presiding on Friday, June 26, 2020. Cantor was Anne McDonough with Jeff Johnson as organist. Readers were: Helen’s grandchildren: Ken Mapes, and Linda Mapes, and gift bearers were Helen’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren : Kim James, Liz Meinhardt, Patrick Meinhardt, and Riley James;  Interment followed in St. Francis of Assisi Cemetery, Cummiskey, Wilmot, Twp., PA.

Pallbearers were:

Tom Allen

Larry Burke

Ken Mapes

Kenny Mapes

Alex Lantz

John Cohron

      Memorial Contributions may be sent to St. Basil’s storm damage fund, PO Box 307, Dushore, PA 18614.

        Arrangements are under the direction of the Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, PA

                  To send condolences or sign the e-guestbook, please go to www.homerfuneralhome.com