Robert Thomas Burke

Robert “Bob” T. Burke, 83, a longtime resident of Cumberland, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully, on October 31, 2026.

Born on May 6, 1943, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Bob was the son of the late Patrick and Della (Fox) Burke. A graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Perth Amboy in 1962, he began his career as a radiology and laboratory technician at Perth Amboy General Hospital before being drafted into the United States Army, where he served as a military police officer in California and South Korea.

Following his military service, he worked his way through college, attending Middlesex Community College before graduating from Rutgers University-Newark. During this time, he met the love of his life, confidante, and best friend, Patricia Teatom, at Hunter Mountain, New York. They married on December 23, 1972, at Stony Brook Friends Meetinghouse in Princeton, New Jersey.

Bob earned his medical degree from Rutgers Medical School, later known as Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in 1975. He completed his residency training in pediatrics and genetics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

In 1978, Bob joined the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, spending most of his career assigned to the United States Coast Guard. His assignments included Cape May, New Jersey; Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia; and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He retired in 1996 with the rank of Captain, having served as Chief Medical Officer at both the Coast Guard Academy and the USCGC Eagle.

Following his uniformed service, Bob joined the faculty of Brown Medical School and the pediatric staff at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. There, he developed the Pediatric Primary Care Center and the Primary Care Center for Children with Special Needs. He later joined Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where he led the Spina Bifida Program. Even after retiring from full-time practice, he continued caring for patients through Women & Infants Hospital’s Neonatal Follow-Up Program and the Tavares Pediatric Center.

Bob was predeceased by his beloved wife of 48 years, Patricia T. Burke, whom he affectionately called “Pretty Patty”; his brother, John “Jack” M. Burke; and his sister, Marie Patricia Thompson.

He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Alanna T. Burke, and her husband, Dr. Andrew Allmendinger; his sons, Kevin T. Burke and his wife, Shannon, and Connell T. Burke and his wife, Sylwia; his cherished grandchildren, Kelham and Niall Allmendinger and Soleil Burke; and his extended family and many dear friends both here and abroad.

He considered his greatest blessings to be the life he shared with the family he adored, and a career that brought him profound joy and purpose. A passionate medical advocate, he served on the board of the Spina Bifida Association of Greater New England and, alongside Patty, helped create the Spinal Crew Support Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital to support children with spina bifida and their families. He was also a member of the Ceilidhe Club of Rhode Island.

Beyond medicine, Bob enjoyed cycling, skiing, traveling the world, and spending time in Ireland, which he considered his home away from home. He was a devoted physician, mentor, and advocate whose wit, congenial conversation, gentle nature, occasional Irish brogue, and boundless compassion touched countless lives.

Bob often said he was “the luckiest man on earth,” and in knowing him, we were truly lucky too.

Visiting Hours will be held in the Gillooly Funeral Home, 126 Walpole Street (Rte. 1A) NORWOOD on Sunday, November 15, 2026, from 10 AM to 1 PM, with Words of Remembrance spoken between 11 AM and 12 PM. At the request of the family, interment will be held privately at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Dr. Robert T. Burke may be made to the Spina Bifida Association of Greater New England, P.O. Box 681 Natick, MA 01760.