Charles "Ed" Burke Obituary (1920 - 2016)

Charles Ed Burke, 95, of Bloomington, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA, passed away at 6:03 p.m., Saturday, April 09, 2016 at his home in Luther Oaks in Bloomington, with his family at his side.His funeral will be at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church with Rev. R. Anthony Lee officiating. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, PA. Visitation will be from 10:00-11:00 a.m., Wednesday at the church.Memorials may be directed to Heifer International, Red Cloud Indian School, St. Joseph Indian School, LaSalle University Art Museum or the charity of the donors choice.Ed was born October 31, 1920 in Pittsburgh, PA, the son of Daniel and Mary Stack Burke. He married Nancy M. Conroy on June 26, 1948 in Pittsburgh, PA. She preceded him in death on March 19, 2007.Survivors include four daughters, Barbara of Bloomington, Kathleen of Newark, Delaware, Patricia (John) Cordulack of Decatur and Sheila (Scott Cantwell) Burke of Crystal Lake; 5 grandchildren, Bevin Burke, Dana Clark, Kevin Clark, Kristian (Alicia) Jensen and Paul Jensen; 3 great grandchild, Serenity Clark, Aubree Jensen and Morgan Jensen; a sister, Mariann Burke of Newton, Massachusetts and many nieces and nephews.He was also preceded in death by a son, Kevin Burke and a brother, Daniel Burke.Ed graduated from LaSalle College in 1943. After graduation, he enlisted in the US Navy and served his country until the end of WWII.Ed worked for State Farm Insurance Cos for over 35 years. He began his career in Pittsburgh in the claims department. He held a variety of claims positions in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia over the years. In 1974 he moved to Bloomington to teach at the State Farm training school. After his retirement in 1984, he stayed on as a claims consultant for another year.Ed volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and was honored by the State of Illinois for his work with S.H.I.P. (Senior Health Insurance Program.) He loved sailing and fishing.The family would like to thank everyone at Luther Oaks for their wonderful care and support of Ed.