John Edmund Burke was born in St. Paul Minnesota on December 31, 1942 to Irene and John Edmund Burke, Sr., joining his older sister, Barbara Ann Burke. In June of 1944, his sister Marie Margaret Burke arrived to complete the family. The family moved to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area in 1952, lived on Arcadia Lane, and the children attended Scottsdale schools and later Central High School. The family lost Barbara in a car accident in 1960, which was a great tragedy. John received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Arizona State University in 1967 and his Juris Doctor Degree from Arizona State University School of Law in 1970.
After a brief term in private practice, John pursued a career in corporate and government real estate law. He was Legal Counsel for the developers of Prescott Valley, Fountain Hills and Lake Havasu City. He then went into public service as Chief of the Land Management Division of the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, and later served as the Real Estate Administrator for the City of Phoenix.
John retired from the City of Phoenix in 2001 and purchased a home in Weaver Mountain Estates in 2007 to enjoy the solitude and clean air of rural Arizona living. He served as the President of the Weaver Mountain Estates Homeowners Association and as Chairman of the Weaver Mountain Domestic Wastewater Improvement District Board of Directors. He also served as Secretary/Treasurer and Member of the Board of Directors of the Congress Domestic Water Improvement District, President of the Congress Senior Citizens, Inc., and as Chairman of the Congress Fire District Board of Directors.
John is survived by his sister, Marie Burke Lia, an attorney in San Diego, and his significant other, Ann Walters-Powell. Marie and Ann are planning a Celebration of Life Event for John later this year. If you would like to receive information about it, please drop us a note at P.O. Box 1137, Congress AZ 85332 or send us an email at [email protected].