Obituary for John Burkley
John F. (Jack) Burkley, 72, of Peoria died at his home Wednesday morning, July 11, 2012. Born August 29, 1939 in Peoria to Emil F. and Helen I. (Graff) Burkley, he married Kathleen May on January 20, 1973. She survives. Jack is also survived by his son John F (Angela) Burkley Jr. of Tremont and four daughters: Jana (David) Irvin of East Peoria, Lori Sparks of Morton, Andri (Mark) Ryan of Chesterfield, MO and Christine (Michael) Gordon of Savannah, GA, as well as 9 grandchildren. His parents and sister, Barbara Krider, preceded him in death. As a lifelong member of Christ Lutheran Church, he served on many boards and committees and as president of the Congregation on more than one occasion. He was chairman of the building committee to expand the grade school in 1999. In recent years he has helped with the budget and has been chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee. Jack was offered a job by Caterpillar in March of 1959 beginning a career that spanned 40 years. Starting as an Engineering draftsman, he held many positions in Engine Division Engineering, Marketing and Products Control. Jack’s last assignments for Cat were outside of the United States as General Manager for a joint venture with the Russian company ZIL in Moscow and then as a Product Manager for Cat generator sets built in Northern Ireland. Jack and Kathy retired and returned to the United States from Northern Ireland in December of 1998. The Burkleys traveled extensively, especially after retirement, frequently visiting their favorite locations in Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Aruba and Florida where Jack served on the Board of Directors for their condo association near Tampa. They enjoyed camping and traveling on AMTRAK. Jack has donated his body to medical research. Friends are welcome to visit with the family from 1:30 pm on Saturday, July 14 at the church located at 2020 W Malone in Peoria. A memorial service will begin at 3:00 pm. Memorials can be made to Christ Lutheran Church General Fund or to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Read More
To plant a tree in memory of John Burkley, visit the Tribute Store.
Loading...