Joyce Burke

Burke, Joyce, 102, of Plantation, passed away on April 12, 2017. Joyce Burke’s birth certificate dated October 9, 1914, in Nova Scotia lists her name as Stephany. She was born to Kathryn and Russell Burke, who immigrated from the Ukraine.  As the middle child of 6 daughters, she used her older sister’s textbook to teach herself to read.  When she entered school in a coal mining town in West Pennsylvania, she assigned herself the new name “Josephine”-one she liked much better, and as the name morphed, she added “B.” as her middle initial.  To help support her family during the Great Depression, she, along with her sisters, cleaned the coal miners lunch buckets at the boarding house, and picked bugs off garden plants, and tossed them into small tins.  Daily, they would have to produce their “bug bounty” to Pops to prove they were out working.  Joyce was barely married a year when her young husband died from an infection sustained from an injury in the mines (before antibiotics existed).  She was a lady of impeccable taste, and found enjoyment working in sales in the fashion retail industry. Later, she became the “Social Director” of her condo association.  When she lost most of her vision due to muscular degeneration, she still cheerfully managed her home, and would often take in family and friends to care for them whenever they needed looking after, thus Joyce was always frugal with herself, and generous with others.  Throughout her life, she followed the political scene, and even pointed out this current President didn’t mention Social Security in his speech. Joyce was very surprised for her 89th birthday when her family and friends came from across the US to celebrate at a Fort Lauderdale hotel. For her 95th birthday, she sailed the Caribbean with her niece, and to her delight, the handsome Captain, crew, and passengers all sang “Happy Birthday” to her.  On her 100th birthday, over 100 friends and family came together again from all over the country to celebrate her.  She will be remembered fondly by family and friends as “Someone who brought strength, dignity, and joy to everyday, and every life that she touched-a rare of a gem of a person.”  Visitation will be Wednesday, from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM at T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home.  Funeral Services will begin at 12 PM at the funeral home, with entombment following at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery.  Arrangements by T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home, 7001 NW 4th Street, Plantation, FL 33317 (954) 587-6888  tmralph.com