Carmen Aleman Burke

Carmen was born in Guatemala City on June 8, 1924. After graduating from the American Bilingual Secretarial School, she worked for the United Fruit Company and was able to move to the United States in the summer of 1950. She spent three years in Boston, Massachusetts before moving briefly to New York City and eventually to San Francisco, California in 1954. There she met and married her husband, Donald Burke on September 27, 1958. They eventually settled in San Jose where they raised their three children. They were married for over 35 years and enjoyed traveling to Guatemala and Europe prior to his death in 1993.

Carmen was a long-time employee of Foothill College, working as the Physical Education department’s executive secretary for over twenty years before retiring in 1993. She enjoyed traveling, drawing, water color painting, photography, studying French, going on bike tours and going to the gym. She also spent many years as a bilingual docent for the de Saisset Museum in Santa Clara.

Carmen is survived by her two sons, John Burke and Andrew Burke, daughter and son in-law, John and Heidi Conti and her grandchildren, Joshua, Madelyn, Sarah and Dylan Conti. Also survived by her family in Guatemala, nephews and niece, Hector, Luis and Anabella Amado and their families.

Carmen will be interned at Golden Gate National Cemetery, in San Bruno, CA with her husband.