Obituary of Francis Edward Burke

FRANCIS (FRANK) EDWARD BURKE June 28, 1942 – March 14, 2016 “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” –Julia Child As well as cooking, add in music, community, and friendship, and this quote is a snapshot of Frank Edward Burke, gourmet, wine connoisseur, musician, musical director, friend, uncle, and human extraordinaire. Frank died suddenly on Monday March 14, 2016 while enjoying a single malt scotch. Frank was a loving honorary uncle and godfather to Elizabeth Monk and Alexander Smyth – not a see-at-Christmas uncle, but a deeply involved and positive presence in our lives. He had a gift for long-term friendships, having known Tony and Helen Smyth since university days at Windsor. Paul and Gail Gaffney, Drummond and Marlene Hudson, and Nancy Turner enjoyed his company for over 40 years, and Jon Houseman and Paul Coughlan were also long-term friends. In 2007, Frank embarked on a quest to find a woman he had known briefly in his early twenties. A friend of his had forwarded a short story this woman had written about the time they met, and he had never been able to bring himself to throw it away. Through diligent internet and library research, and by placing calls across North America, he actually managed to track down Mary Pat McStravick in Fort Worth, Texas. A correspondence began anew, and then some visits, and then a love affair that made the last six years of his life his happiest ever. While his gift for friendship was legendary, and many such friendships were solidified around gourmet meals of his making, Frank also left his mark in the music and theatre worlds. He graduated from St. Michael’s Choir School, studied Canadian History at the University of Windsor from 1960 to 1963, and did a Masters at Carleton University. He then did contracts at CBC, was a life member of the American Federation of Musicians, and was an active member of Orpheus Musical Theatre Society for over four decades, including being Musical Director for Gigi, Applause, and Kismet. In the 1980s, Frank and a team produced the Canada Day Show on the Hill for several years and also worked on two editions of “Sound & Saddles” for the RCMP Band and the Musical Ride. For the Jewish Community Centre Theatreworks, as accompanist, Frank was an integral part of ten musical productions in the 1990s. It is hard to imagine the show going on without Frank in our lives, but go on it must, though he will be sorely missed by many. Donations to Orpheus Musical Theatre Society in his memory will be gladly accepted. A Going Away Party and Celebration of His Life is scheduled for Sunday June 26, 2016 from 7:00 – 10:00 at Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, 17 Fairmont Avenue, Ottawa, as his life will certainly be honoured in the spirit in which he honoured his friendships. Friends are also invited to attend a Graveside Service on Tuesday June 28, 2016 at 1pm at Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery 305 Erskine Avenue, Toronto. To share your memories of Frank or make a donation in his memory please visit www.hillcrestfuneralhome.ca Funeral arrangements entrusted to Hillcrest Funeral Home 151 Bond Street Vankleek Hill, Ontario K0B 1R0 1-886-678-2001.