Theresa Marie Burke

Theresa Maria Smyth Burke was born January 10, 1950, the youngest of Daniel and Florence Smyth’s five children. She was raised in and around Chicago, IL in a large loving family. She graduated from Marquette University before receiving a PhD in Child Psychology from the University of Chicago. Theresa was heavily involved in the St. Martin’s community, both in the school and church and performed with the choir and as a lector for many years.

She was married to Patrick Leo Burke for 29 years prior to his death in 2008. They had three children, Michael, Timothy, and Katherine. Mike and his wife, Melissa, reside in Richmond, VA and have three children, Zachary, Mia and Leo. Tim and his wife, Jordan, reside in San Francisco, CA and have two children, Teagan and Daniel. Katherine passed away in 2015.

Theresa was a lifelong learner and always enjoyed finding ways to sharpen her mind, whether reading clinical journals, following current events, or working a crossword or sudoku puzzle. Quick with her wit and full of laughter, she was a great listener and even more avid talker. She enjoyed working with her students as a professor at Montgomery Community College, as well as informally counseling an enormous number of family members and friends on matters of all sorts. Always empathetic and caring, Theresa could put herself in the shoes of anyone she spoke with and always find a way to help them through their day and leave them feeling better than when she found them.

She loved being a mother and raising her children but enjoyed being a grandmother and doting on her grandchildren even more. She leaves a wonderful legacy in all the people who’s lives she touched and made better.

Friends may call at DeVol Funeral Home, 10 East Deer Park Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 on Monday November 15, 2021 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. (Masks are required while visiting the funeral home). A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, 201 South Frederick Avenue, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 on Tuesday November 16, 2021 at 10:30 AM. Interment: All Souls Cemetery, Germantown, MD 20876. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the hospice facility that cared so well for Theresa in her final days. Donations should be made to Sodality Respite, Inc., 8309 Cornith Drive, Richmond, VA 23227