In Memory of

Edmund

John

Burke

Jr.

Obituary for Edmund John Burke Jr.

Edmund John Burke Jr., age 86, passed peacefully on Saturday, March 10, 2018. Born in Maplewood, he was a resident of Linden, Elizabeth, and Holmdel prior to moving to Spring Lake in 1993.

Ed graduated from Linden High School in 1949 and attended post-graduate school at St. Benedict Prep in Newark. He excelled in basketball and was team captain for the Linden Tigers his senior year. He went on to graduate from Seton Hall University where he majored in accounting and political science.

He served two years in the United States Army and was honorably discharged in 1957.

Ed specialized in corporate tax accounting at Weston Electrical Instrument, the McGraw Edison Companies, and at Supermarkets General Corporation (Pathmark), where he spent 27 years and retired as Corporate Tax Director in 1993.

He was a member of the Hatimal Association of Accountants and The Tax Executive Institute. In Roselle Park, he served as the Pop Warner Football treasurer and at St Genevieve in Elizabeth served as CYO Basketball Coach and as treasurer of the Holy Name Society. Ed was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Linden Council.

While living in Holmdel, Ed coached HYAA baseball and girls’ and boys’ basketball. His life’s passion was watching his five children compete in sports. For years, Marge and he traveled to many high school, college and professional venues to watch their children play and excel. The zenith of their sports odyssey was watching their youngest son John play for the Patriots against the Packers in the 1997 Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Ed was an avid and sometimes rabid Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Fighting Irish, Patriots, Jets, and Yankees fan.
Edmund loved to travel. He went on the Queen Elizabeth four times and went on several trips to various European countries. One of his fondest trips was to Australia with his brother George for the “Down Under” Bowl. Dad enjoyed golf, gardening, an occasional scotch and water, and walking the family’s Heyward Hills Huskie mix, JR. Ed was loved by many friends and extended family members and looked forward to the Holidays and special occasions where he could share a good laugh and conversation.

He is predeceased by his parents Edmund and Esther (Murphy) Burke, and his brothers George and Michael Burke.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Margaret (Sharkey) Burke; his children, Maryanne Curtin and her husband Edwin and their daughters Katie and Elizabeth, Edmond J. Burke III and his daughter Allaire, Nancy Bond and her husband Thomas and their daughter Ann Marie and her husband Jeremy, Joseph Burke and his wife Sonya and their son Ian and daughters Lara and Keira, John Burke and wife Denise and their daughter Kelly; his brother, Richard and his sister Esther Kapcsos.

Viewing will be held on Thursday, March 15, 2018 from 4-7 p.m. at O’Brien Funeral Home, 2028 Hwy 35 at New Bedford Rd, Wall, NJ 07719. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, March 16, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at St. Catharine’s RC Church, Spring Lake followed by the interment at the NJ Veterans Cemetery, Wrightstown.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers please send donations to St. Mary of the Assumption High School, 237 So. Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ 07202