NATCHITOCHES – A funeral mass will be said Thursday morning in Alliance, Ohio, for Mary Ann Burke, mother of veteran Northwestern State director of athletics Greg Burke.
 
She passed away Sunday in an Akron hospital after a brief illness at the age of 79.
 
Calling hours will be held Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. EST at the Sharer Stirling-Skivolocke Funeral Home in Alliance with a rosary to immediately follow.  Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Alliance at 10 a.m. Thursday with burial to follow at St. Joseph's Cemetery.
 
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mrs. Burke's memory may be made to the Gerald P. Burke Scholarship, Marlington High School Alumni Association, P.O. Box 6001, Alliance, OH, 44601.
 
On-line condolences may be expressed on the sharerfuneralhome.com website. Her son has been NSU's athletics director since August 1996.
 
Born in Youngstown on July 14, 1932, Mrs. Burke lived the majority of her adult in life in Alliance.  She graduated from East High School in Youngstown and attended Youngstown State University. 
 
Mrs. Burke was very active with her church and in the community.  A dedicated member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Alliance, she was a member of the Women's Guild, Catholic Women's Club, and the Bereavement and Hope Committee.  A "Woman of the Year" honoree for her parish, she also was a Eucharistic Minister and with her late husband, Jere, served as Marriage Preparation Mentors for 20 years.  She was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Auxiliary organization and initiated the Red Cross "cookies" project for blood drives.  Most notably, she was founder of the Alliance Carnation Festival Week Nursing Home "Ice Cream Socials" and for her efforts, was, along with her husband, awarded the Ben S. Favazzo Sr. and Patrick H. Jeswold Founder's Award for their outstanding dedication to the Carnation City Festival and to the community of Alliance.
 
Mrs. Burke was also a member of St. Hilary Catholic Church in Akron for the past five years.  Her hobbies included reading, crafts, gardening, baking, attending the activities of her grandchildren, and avidly watching sporting events.
 
Mrs. Burke was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald P. "Jere" Burke, in 2009.  She also was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Catherine Garchar Sharshan; by brothers Eddie, John, and Nick Sharshan; and by sister, Louise Shary.
 
She is survived by her daughter, Susan Marie Burke of Dublin and two other sons, Richard William of Akron, and Gerald Michael  of Hudson.  Mrs. Burke also leaves nine grandchildren including Catherine Jean Burke of Natchitoches.
 
She also is survived by two sisters, two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law, along with 12 nieces and nephews.
 
Mrs. Burke will always be remembered as a loving and caring housewife whose goal was to tirelessly live each day to its fullest for her husband and children.  She will forever be admired for her courageous battle with rheumatoid arthritis that extended over the final 35 years of her life yet never deterred her from serving her family, her church, and her community.  Most importantly, she taught her children to care about others before caring about themselves and lived her Christian faith every day of her life.
  
Pallbearers will be grandsons Joseph, Nicholas, and Nathaniel Burke and Pacifique Niyonzima and friends of the family, John Admonius and Nick Tronolone.