Cover photo for Nancy Burke's Obituary
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1949 Nancy 2024

Nancy Burke

November 27, 1949 — August 23, 2024

Nancy Jane Burke, 74, the Harley-riding sparkle fairy. The gardener, seamstress, pie-maker & chocolate-loving grandmother left her earthly body on the 23rd of August. Nancy lives on in her mother Betty; brothers Jimmy, Richard, and Gary; her beloved husband Melvin of 34 years; three daughters Kerren, Bonnie, and Lauren; their spouses Justin and Jeff; and five grandchildren Dylan, Noah, Riley, Sophie, and Penny.



Born Nancy Jane Crouse on the 27th of November in Evanston, Illinois. The spirited daughter of Jim and Betty. She was the second born of four; the younger sister to Jimmy and the older sister to Richard and Gary.

Nancy's family moved to Anaheim California when she was seven. She was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. She joined the drill team in her junior year of high school and her senior year became captain. Nancy worked as a tour guide at Disneyland in high school. She was the only girl born during her generation of Crouses. So was spoiled with lots of dresses! However, you'd never know this later in life as it was unlikely to find her in anything but leather, lace, and jeans!



She was a passionate seamstress. Her Mom Betty remembers Nancy would run into the house with a new piece of fabric and run back out the door hours later in a new outfit. Later she took on sewing of the family’s bridesmaids' dresses, uniforms, and her daughters' prom and wedding dresses. Chances are, if you knew Nancy, you have an apron, a sweater, or a scarf hand-made by her. When she set her mind out to do something she would do it and let nothing get in her way. Her youngest daughter remembers waking to the sound of Nancy remodeling the kitchen on a whim, building a fence in the backyard, or gardening. Nancy went to college later in life and became a middle school math teacher. This petite, gentle woman learned to ride a motorcycle and rode her own Harley well into her mid-60s.



Nancy spent the last twenty years of her life living for her grandchildren. Whether it be sports, dance, surfing, drama, music, or art, Nancy was her grandchildren's biggest fan. There was no shortage of glitter and face paint when Grandma Nancy was around and you better believe she had glitter in her hair and her face was painted too!



Her daughter Kerren has lived around the world and Nancy was sure to visit her anywhere she was, traveling to Italy, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Laos, France, and New Zealand. She filled her home with fabrics and beads from around the world. Nancy was fortunate to take a trip to the French Alps this summer with all three of her daughters & two granddaughters. She gardened (took lots of naps in the garden), made lots of pies (demanded we make her a pie), and shared all her chocolate (stole everyone's chocolate in the middle of the night).



To honor Nancy's wishes her daughters, grandchildren, and husband will celebrate her life at her favorite lake in Oregon next summer with lots of face painting, glitter, howling, and dancing to Stevie Nicks in the moonlight. She was a beautiful soul and we are all so lucky to have had the special magic of her in our lives.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Nancy Burke, please visit our flower store.

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