Fern Ellen Tracy Burke

Mrs. Fern Ellen Tracy Burke, 91, passed away peacefully on May 25, 2016 in Austin, Texas. Mrs. Burke was born on the family farm in Merrick County Nebraska on January 3,1925 to Floyd and Marie Frauen Tracy. Life on their farm instilled the principles that made her the strong woman her family and friends knew, love and admired. She will be remembered for being gracious and kind to all she met.

Fern Burke is survived by her daughter, Cecelia M. Burke of Austin, her nephews Edward Tracy, wife Sue and their sons; Steve Zuehlke, wife Sue and their three children; Loren Schuett, wife Donna and their four children. Her nieces Donna Williams and Margaret Schuett survive her. Her cousins Pat and Larry Tracy, Mrs. Lonnie Baugh, Mrs. Margie Tucker, Mrs. Delores Urwiller, and Alice and Doyal Hendrickson and Stephanie Bostic and her four children and Bill and Sheri Snyder and their two daughters also survive her.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Lt. Colonel Edmond J. Burke; son, Edmond J. Burke III, both of San Antonio; brothers Henry Tracy and Roy Tracy; her Aunt and Uncles Celia and Henry Lohman, Frank and Frankie Tracy, John and Irene Hendrickson; her cousins Dwayne and Jan Hendrickson, Hans and Bertha Schuett, Otto and Georgena Frauen, Chris and Annie Sass, Robert Schuett and her beloved companion Mr. William P. Snyder.

Mrs. Burke captured life in an extraordinary way—with a sense of humor, clarity and charm. She received a scholarship to study mathematics at the University of Nebraska, but her education was interrupted by World War II. She served her country working at an ammunition plant in Grand Island, Nebraska in 1942 at the age of 17 and went on to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Women's Reserve from 1942 – 1946 and was stationed in New York, Virginia and Colorado.

She met her husband to be, Ed Burke, in Denver and they were married in 1946 until his death in 1985. Over the years Mrs. Burke traveled extensively—to Hong Kong, Europe, Mexico and her favorite spots in the U.S. including Port Aransas, Montana, New Mexico, Colorado and their beach home in Rockport, Texas.

Her love of Texas history, her personal mandate to give back to the community and her desire to help others drew her into a lifelong civic and volunteer life. Mrs. Burke was a long time volunteer with the Girl and Boy Scouts and the Alamo Heights High School PTA. Her civic work with the Institute of Texan Cultures in San Antonio spanned over 40 years. She was named Volunteer of the Year for the City of San Antonio, and the Institute honored her with their Award of Excellence for her outstanding contributions to Texas history and culture in 1994. In later years Mrs. Burke was a docent at the McNay Art Institute and volunteered with the Low Vision Resource Center.

Mrs. Burke worked for many years for the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau and was an outstanding ambassador for the City of San Antonio.

She was a lifelong Republican and active in local and state Republican activities. She served as President, Secretary and Treasurer for the Republican Women's Club of Bexar County. She also served on the state board of the Texas Federation of Republican Women's Clubs and was named by the State Republican Women's Club as one of the top ten Republican Women in the State of Texas in 2003.

She was active with her church, Christ Lutheran, where she taught Vacation Bible School, was Treasurer for the Women of Christ Lutheran and was a part of the Stephen Ministry.

The family wishes to thank Brookdale Westlake Hills, Brookdale Northwest Hills, and especially Brookdale Austin Hospice, for their care, love and assistance since her move to Austin. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2016, 6 pm to 8 pm at Porter Loring Mortuary, 1101 McCullough Avenue, San Antonio, Texas.

MEMORIAL SERVICE

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016

2:00 PM

CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH

6720 BROADWAY

SAN ANTONIO, TX

Interment was privately held for the family at Sunset Memorial Park, 1701 Austin Hwy,

San Antonio, TX 78218.

Memorial donations may be made to Heifer International, Women's Empowerment, 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, AR/USA 72202; Low Vision Resource Center 1250 NE Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78209; Lutheran World Relief, 700 Light Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230 USA or the charity of your choice.