Katharine Dee (née Cole) Burke

Obituary for Katharine Dee (née Cole) Burke
 

Born in Fergus Falls, MN on January 31, 1937, Katharine Dee (née Cole) Burke was a remarkable teacher, volunteer, hostess, friend, mother, and wife. Known as “Kay,” she graduated from Macalester College in 1959 and started her career as an elementary and special education teacher, positively impacting the lives of students for more than five decades. She met her future husband, Charles (Craig) Burke in a college biology class. Together they had three daughters while living in St. Paul and spent many formative years in Palatine, IL before returning to Minnesota. They were delighted to celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary last month with a party for friends, neighbors and family at their cabin on Big Sugarbush Lake, followed by a sunset pontoon cruise on a perfect summer day.

Kay shaped the communities she was part of through volunteer work, including leading Camp Fire troops, teaching Sunday School, serving as an elder and deacon in the Presbyterian Church, coaching girls soccer, and establishing a “Picture Lady” program in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago to introduce schoolchildren to art and artists in the museum, as well as through her famous parties for colleagues, friends and neighbors. Her list of favorite things included being a “hostaphile” and growing many varieties of hostas in her gardens, hosting lefse making parties, decorating multiple Christmas trees with Swedish ornaments and making her daughters dress up like Santa Lucia, singing in choir and around the house, traveling and spending time with the FFF group (Friends from Fergus Falls), her long-lived sidekicks, dogs Muffin and Jackson, being at the cabin and especially for 4th of July and Thanksgiving celebrations in the woods with her rambunctious clan, the Taco Bell drive through, going out to lunch with teacher friends and her bookclub, and in her last days, telling her devoted husband and family how much they were loved.   

Kay was preceded in death by her parents, Louie and Laura Cole, as well as her brother Keith, and is survived by her daughters Lisa Burke (Dan Gjelten), Mary Burke (Mary Gergen), Suzanne Pedrazzini (Deron), and her beloved grandchildren, Hannah, Abby and Joshua Marose; Jacob and Laura Pedrazzini; Drew Hilliard (Gratias Sessou), and Arne Gjelten, together with many loving nieces and nephews. A special thanks to the staff at Ecumen Seasons and Grace Hospice for their kindness and care for her and us all.

A memorial service will be held at House of Hope Presbyterian Church, 797 Summit Avenue, St. Paul on Thursday, September 25, at 11 a.m., with a visitation beforehand from 10 – 11 a.m. and a light luncheon following the service. Out-of-town friends and family members are encouraged to participate through online streaming, https://www.hohchurch.org/worship-music/live-streaming-house-hope-church/. Kay requested that donations in her memory could be made to the Jeremiah Program,  the Fergus Fall 544 Education Foundation, or any other organization supporting education and wellbeing for children.

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