Francis H. Burke

Francis H. "Frank" Burke, of Fairview, NC and formerly of Western New York, entered into rest on April 13, 2021 at age 78. Beloved husband of Sylvia (nee Love) Burke; devoted father of Dr. Mark (Kate) Burke and the late Chad (Susan) Burke; cherished grandfather of Brenna, Ethan, Samantha, Riley, Corban, Teagan, Decklan, Rowan and Killian; adored great-grandfather of Lumi; loving son of the late Francis T. and Alice (nee Coyne) Burke; dear brother of Jack (late Barbara) Burke, Teresa (late Peter) Labushsky, Jerry (Debby) Burke and the late Bernard Burke; also survived by loving nieces and nephews.

Frank was born in North Tonawanda, NY on August 23, 1942. He served in the US Army from 1960-1963, and earned the honor of serving as a Green Beret with the 5th Special Forces as a medic in Vietnam.

Frank earned a Masters Degree in Physical Education from the University of Buffalo in 1971, was certified as an athletic trainer in 2000, and became a certified strength and conditioning specialist in 2004.

Frank taught physical education and coached football in the North Tonawanda School District from 1968-1998. He also ran the Memorial Pool in North Tonawanda for decades. He was elected to the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

Frank continued his career as a certified athletic trainer at The Asheville School in Asheville, NC from 2001 to 2015 and was awarded a special recognition award from The Asheville School in 2015. He then went on to work at the Christ School in Asheville, NC from 2015 to 2017.

Frank was a member of the National Education Association, the National Athletic Trainers Association, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a graveside service with military honors on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 2pm at Western New York National Cemetery, 1254 Indian Falls Rd., Corfu, NY 14036.

Relatives and friends are also invited to an open house and reception honoring the lives of Frank and his son, Chad, on Saturday, May 29, 2021 from 12-5pm at the family's residence, 2621 West River Rd., Grand Island, NY 14072.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Frank's memory may be made to the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM), 20 Twentieth St., Asheville, NC 28806 or online at www.abccm.org, or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306 or online at tunnel2towers.org.