Irene Pearl Burke

April 19, 1932 - January 29, 2016

Irene Pearl Burke passed away Friday evening at the Copper Ridge Health and Rehab Center. She was born April 19, 1932 to Edgar C. and Della H (Hagman) Boyd while they were vacationing in Jerome, Idaho. Irene was raised in Butte and graduated from Butte High School. She worked as a telephone operator before marriage and on November 12, 1950 in Butte she and George Richard Burke were united in marriage. He passed away September 29, 2013. She is also preceded in death by her parents, Edgar and Della Boyd, her parents-in-law, George and Dorothy Burke, her brother, Patrick Boyd, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Bob and Jane Okrusch, Bill and Mary Boehmer, Dorothy Boyd, Jim Burke and a nephew, Cory Boyd. Irene was a Blue Bird and Campfire Girls leader for many years, was a member of the First Christian Church and taught Sunday school at three different church over 50 years mainly to preschoolers and served as a leader for Recovery Inc. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Patti and Larry Collins, sons and daughters-in-law, Steve Burke and Cathy Thomas and Mike and Jackie Burke all of Butte, grandchildren: Kim Collins and Chris Curwood, Brenna and Ken Anderson, John and Katie Burke, Joe and Sara Burke, Tony and Nicole Burke, great-grandchildren: Amanda and Steven Adkins, Lacey Tarkalson, Trey Tarkalson, Taylor Burke, Kali Burke, Cooper Burke, Mikey Burke, Makenna Anderson, Marissa Anderson and Maycee Anderson, great-great-grandchildren Noah Bumgarner, Finlee Tarkalson and Kennady Tarkalson, brothers and sister-in-law, Edgar Boyd of Seattle, Ted and Joy Boyd of Butte, sisters-in-law, Betty Brockman of Oregon and Ginny Burke of Butte. Also surviving are numerous niece and nephews.