William Burke

William (Bill) Thomas Burke passed away peacefully on November 2, 2024, All Soul’s Day, with his devoted wife and God’s grace by his side. He was 93 years old. Bill lived a full life of sound moral character, and was also quite the character, as anyone who knew him well can attest. He will be dearly missed by his wife, Carole, his loving family, his neighbors, and many good friends made over a lifetime. He was truly the measure of a man. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waucoma, IA, with Rev. Nick Radloff presiding. Burial will be in the Waucoma cemetery with full military rites. There will be a 1-hour visitation prior to the service. Eulogy will start at 10:15 a.m. Visitation will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 11, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waucoma, IA, with a rosary at 3:15 p.m. Bill Burke was born on October 7, 1931 on the same farm where he would spend his life. Bill, or Billy, was the youngest of seven children born to Irish Catholic parents, Tom and Elizabeth (Bessie) Burke. Despite the hardships of the Great Depression, the family thrived through their humor and humility. The Burke’s maintained strong community ties and were very civically minded. When Billy turned 18, he was drafted to serve as a US Army artillery officer in the Korean War. After the war, he came home to help his elderly father care for the farm. In the era of Big Band weekend dances, Billy met Carole Meyer (of nearby Fort Atkinson) at the Innwood Ballroom of Spillville. As luck would have it, that first dance would turn into a courtship. In 1957, the two began a love story that would endure an unbelievable 67 years. Bill and Carole started a family and were blessed with five wonderful children. Like many Iowa farm families, Bill and Carole raised grain and livestock. They were also innovators and conservationists— establishing the Burke Hereford Farm, an egg-laying operation, and an organic truck garden. Their conservation efforts included anti-erosion terraces and buffer strips, crop rotation, and CRP “set-aside” acres for resting soil and providing wildlife nesting habitat. Bill loved riding his tractors (particularly an orange front-loader Allis-Chalmers) out in the fields while listening to the radio –he enjoyed the peace and tranquility that only comes from being outdoors. Bill cherished Turkey Valley high school sports-all of them, except maybe cross-county. He drove the school bus for Turkey Valley (and the Waucoma School System) with a perfect safety record for an incredible 50 years—before retiring in 2010. As a bus driver, he loved interacting with the many students he hauled over the years. He especially loved the long bus trips to winter wrestling matches and fall Friday night football games. His favorite sport was undoubtedly wrestling. Both Bill and Carole attended countless wrestling matches at the high school, college and even Olympic levels. Combining their love of sports and travel, they followed Olympic wrestling to Mexico City, Munich, Montreal, Barcelona, and Sydney. The highlights of their Olympic adventures were volunteering at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, and watching Dan Gable win the gold in 1972 in Munich! Describing Bill as a sports fanatic would be an understatement. He was passionate about attending and cheering on all manner of sports teams whenever farming would allow. In his forties he began playing golf. From then on, he was seldom found without a golf club (or broom, or what have you) in hand—practicing his chip shot in the backyard. He had overlapping golf-club memberships so he could enjoy the companionship of fellow golfers several times a week. “Burke” could (and often did) strike up a conversation with strangers—who would soon become friends. Known to occupy certain seats around town—Lorraine’s cafe or Danny’s—with a town pop in hand, briefing and debriefing again, the price of corn, the score of the latest Iowa college game or just rubbing elbows with his friends. He loved Waucoma! Bill was also civically engaged, just as his parents would have wanted. He was an active member of St Mary’s Church, serving as both lector and enthusiastic Irish tenor. He was a member of the American Legion, and served as Sergeant at Arms at the annual Memorial Day services in Waucoma. He also served as Trustee of Eden Township for many years. Bill will be remembered for his easy manner, independent spirit, and unmatched integrity. He was beloved by all who knew him. Bill is survived by his steadfast wife of 67 years, Carole (Meyer); four daughters: Shari (Mark) Schultz of Grand Rapids, MI, Juli (Kevin) Bertness of Batavia, IL, Jane (Luis) Pinto of Wheaton, IL, Rebecca (Shin) Yang of Madison, AL; daughter-in-law Theresa (Martin) Burke; grandchildren: Sheena Frana, Ryan Schultz, Ross Schultz, Amanda Rausch, Collin Schultz, Casey Schultz, Elizabeth Bertness, Katherine Bertness, Zachary Burke, Alejandro Pinto, Shannon Schultz, Kayla Burke, Sebastian Pinto, William Yang, Clara Yang; great-grandchildren: Chloe Burke, Cael Frana, Aubrey Rausch, Jaxton Rausch, Killian Schultz, Rohan Schultz, Connor Schultz; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Florence (and brother-in-law Herbert) Goepel, Frances (and brother-in-law Ronald) Trewin, Mary (and brother-in-law Fritz) Ambrose, Patricia (Patsy) (and brother-in-law William (Bill) Lynn; brothers, John (and sister-in-law Ruth Pleggenkuhle), James; and his only dearest son, William Burke, Jr. (Jay). May Bill join his loved ones and Heavenly Father in eternal peace, and may he continue to be his family’s North Star.