Obituary of Harold Richard Burke

Harold Richard "Dick" Burke, age 79, of Punta Gorda, FL passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2014 at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte, FL following a brief illness. He was born on October 31, 1935, in New Haven, CT to Harold and Aleine Burke. Dick is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Millicent "Milly" ; son, H. Richard Burke of Powell, OH; daughter, Suzanne (Thomas) Ulry, of Columbus, OH; son, John (Julie) Burke of Lower Gwynedd, PA; grandchildren, April, Joshua, Aleine, Erin, Rebecca, Rachael, Carley and Emily; great-grandchildren, Curtis, Joseph, Trenton, and Molly; siblings, Elinor Carignan, of Port Charlotte, FL, Vincent (Mary) Ferrie, of Lake Charles, LA, Bertram (Maureen) Ferrie, of Merrit Island, FL, and Gary (Nancy) Burke, of Cape Coral, FL; and many loving nieces, nephews and extended family. Dick grew up in Hamden, CT and later located to Wallingford, CT. Work relocations took him to Louisville, KY and Worthington, OH . Upon retirement in 2000 he and Milly settled in Punta Gorda, FL. Dick proudly served in the United States Air Force as an Aircraft Simulator Technician, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He attended New Haven College on the GI Bill, learning Associates and Bachelors Degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Dick had a long and distinguished professional career including engineering and management roles at Eastern Industries, Cabot, Celanese, Nibco, and Vanaire. Following his official retirement, Dick remained busy working part time at The Home Depot right up until the onset of his illness. Dick was a true family man - admired by all for his integrity, intelligence, and strong work ethic. His hobbies included carpentry, golf, and building and flying radio - controlled airplanes. He loved to help co-workers with constructing aquariums and was a respected source of help and advice to many friends and neighbors for home repairs and various other projects. Dick will be interred at East Lawn Cemetery in East Haven, CT. Please visit Dick's tribute wall at www.schelmfh.com to share memories and to send condolences to the Burke family. In lieu of flowers the family welcomes memorial contributions to Variety, the Children's Charity of Greater Philadelphia, P.O. Box 609, Worcester, PA 19490 https://support.varietyphila.org/ Arrangements by Paul Schelm Funeral Home in Lake Suzy. Phone (941) 625-3535.