Dorothy B. Burke of Quogue dies at 89 - 27 East
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News / Obituaries / Southampton Press / 1469789

Dorothy B. Burke of Quogue dies at 89

author on Oct 6, 2010

Dorothy B. Burke

Dorothy B. Burke of Quogue and New Canaan, Connecticut, died on September 19 surrounded by family at her home, a few days before her 90th birthday.

Born in 1920 to Dorothy (née Mott) and Robert Burns of Brooklyn, she attended Packer Collegiate Institute, the Ethel Walker School and Vassar College.

She loved music of the classic American Songbook and her home was filled with the recordings of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and countless others. She herself had a beautiful voice, family recalled, and could be heard singing throughout the day. A voracious reader, particularly of British mysteries, she delighted in puns and wordplay and always kept a dictionary nearby, survivors said, noting that she relished the bright sparks of life and had a singularly keen wit. Also, she “played a nifty game of golf,” family members said, and was a member of the National Golf Links, Shinnecock Hills, and the Quogue Field Club.

She married her childhood sweetheart, Bob Burke, survivors said, and had a wonderful marriage for close to 50 years, lovingly caring for her children, her home and her friends. Her inner circle was always evolving. In her later years, she made close friends in San Diego and La Quinta in the high California desert, and her family said that everyone will deeply miss her “unique and wonderfully hip spirit.”

She is survived by two daughters, Casey Romero of Vermont, Barbara Valk of Connecticut; a son, Bob Burke Jr. of California; three grandchildren, Andy, Jenny and Joanna; and several special friends and caregivers, including Angelina, Christina, Stella, Bob, Georgina, Pauline and Penny. She was predeceased by her husband and a brother, Ed Burns.

A memorial services, set to be held in December in Connecticut, will be announced in a future edition of The Press.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Quogue Library, 90 Quogue Street, Quogue, NY 11959, the New Canaan Library, Main Street, New Canaan, CT 06840, or to a library of choice would be appreciated by the family.

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