Dorothea Philbin Burke
ANDOVER - Dorothea Philbin Burke, 94, of Andover, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2023.
She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1928, the daughter of Philip and Ruth Mower Philbin. She was the sixth of seven children. The Philbins lived in the Highlands section of Lowell and were known for their warmth and wit. Her cousin, Ray Goulding of the comedy team Bob and Ray, lived one block over.
After graduating from Lowell High School (as a proud Girl Officer), Dorothea attended the nursing school at Boston University, where she received and her R.N. Degree. She then worked as an operating room nurse at Mass Memorial Hospital (later the Boston Medical Center), where she met her future husband.
She married Dr. Paul M. Burke, of Akron Ohio and, shortly thereafter, her husband was posted to Germany as a captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Dorothea joined him there with their first child.
Living in Germany (which enabled her to tour Europe) was an exciting and seminal event of Dorothea’s life and she was always grateful for the experience.
Eventually, the family settled down in Lowell, Massachusetts, where Dr. Burke practiced surgery for 37 years. Dr. and Mrs. Burke were married for almost 61 years, until he passed away in 2011. Among other things, they were known for hosting large Christmas Eve get togethers attended by many relatives and friends.
She was a communicant of the Immaculate Conception Church in Lowell and a member of Vesper Country Club in Tyngsboro and the Club at Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida She spent a significant amount of time in Falmouth on Cape Cod and in Naples, where she and her husband had homes.
Dorothea’s main interest was in taking care of her large family. She was also very active in the school committee campaigns of her sister, Kathyrn Stoklosa. Dorothea was particularly proud when the City of Lowell named one of its public schools after her sister.
She is survived by her seven children and their spouses: Dorothea Stone and her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Stone, of Methuen, Dr. Paul Burke Jr. and his wife Honey, of Andover, Philip Burke and his wife, Marcia, of Marblehead, Christopher Burke and his wife, Nancy, of Andover, Robert Burke of Andover, Theodore Burke and his wife, Theresa, of Jackson, Wyoming, and Kathryn Tateronis and her husband, Craig, of Reading.
She leaves 16 loving grandchildren and their spouses, 7 beloved great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She also remained close to several of the childhood friends of her children.
She is also survived by her sister, Ruth, and her brother, Donald.
She was pre-deceased by her brother, Dr. Philip Philbin, her sister, Patricia Howard, her brother, Richard and her sister, Kathryn Stoklosa.
She will be remembered as a devoted, caring and beloved wife, mother, mother-inlaw, grandmother and great-grandmother. A celebration of her life will be held later in the spring