Bernard 'Bernie' Joseph Burke

Bernard "Bernie" Joseph Burke, 71, of 2742 Hwy. 34 East, Fairfield died at 3:06 a.m. Tuesday, March 28, 2000, at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center in Ottumwa.

The funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 31, at the Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield with the Rev. Stephen Page officiating. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery in Fairfield. Prayers for a Christian wake will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Behner Funeral Home. Visitation will follow. Memorials can be made to the Palliative Care Unit at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center or to the Walton Club.

Mr. Burke was born Aug. 19, 1928, in Jefferson County, the son of Frank Paul and Dorothea Shemanski Burke. He married Marilyn Schuck on Feb. 27, 1954 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fairfield. He lived in Jefferson County his entire life. He graduated from Fairfield High School, class of 1947. He was employed at Iowa Electric Light and Power Company for over 35 years before his retirement. He was a part-time farmer. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean Conflict. He was a member of the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fairfield. He was a member of the V.F.W. Post #2271, the American Legion Post #47, the Eagles Lodge #1927, and a lifetime member of the Walton Club.

Survivors include his wife of Fairfield; three sons, Randall J. Burke of Lockridge; one daughter, Mari D. Pittman of Pasadena, Texas; nine grandchildren; and two step-grandsons. He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Catherine; and three brothers, Pete, Robert, and Albert.