Born Oct. 30, 1949
Bellows, Vermont
Died May 22, 2024
Burlington, Vermont
Details of services
The family invites you to support the HealthWell Foundation in his memory. A private celebration of life will be hosted at a later date.
Loving husband, dedicated father and loyal friend Michael James Burke, 74, died peacefully in the presence of family on May 22, 2024, after a brief battle with leukemia.
Born on Oct. 30, 1949, in Bellows Falls to Thomas and Evelyn (Prunier) Burke, he is survived by his wife of 44 years, Patricia (Patty) Porter of St. Albans; daughter Jordan Burke and husband Richard Gallagher of Essex Junction; and daughter Caitlin (Burke) Lyons and husband David Lyons of Alexandria, VA. He is survived by brother Peter Burke of Langdon, NH; sisters Bernadette Nay of Jefferson, NH, Elsie Spoerl of Charlestown, NH, and Nancy Godbehere of Marlboro, NJ; and granddaughters Avery and Brynn Lyons of Alexandria, VA. He is predeceased by both of his parents, brother Thomas Burke Jr. and sisters Lillian Either and Patricia Barrows.
Michael was raised on a family farm in Langdon, NH, and spent his early years honing handyman skills and a compassionate love for all creatures great and small. He was a member of the first graduating class of Fall Mountain Regional High School in Langdon in 1967 and served as vice president for the senior class. He spent three years at the University of New Hampshire and later completed an engineering degree through New England College.
As a young adult, Michael played goalie for the UNH hockey team – though he was quick to admit he never saw much ice time – and trained as a smokejumper through a summer job with the U.S. Forest Service. His work as a wildland firefighter between Missoula, Montana, and Bend, Oregon, fostered an early love for the American West.
Michael later helped Bensonwood Founder Tedd Benson and brother Stephen stand up an early iteration of the acclaimed Walpole, New Hampshire, timber framing business in the 1970s. He then joined Whitcomb Construction in New Hampshire, where he met wife Patty and the pair wed on Oct. 6, 1979, at the Rockingham Meeting House in Rockingham. Together, they welcomed daughters Jordan in 1982 and Caitlin in 1985. They moved to Colchester in 1984, their home for the next 31 years, before relocating to St. Albans in 2016.
Michael spent over 30 years as a civil engineer for Colchester’s Krebs & Lansing Consulting Engineers Inc. and retired as partner in 2018. Deeply respected by clients, he brought a hands-on, practical approach to design and worked countless hours of donated time to bring projects to successful completion. A quiet presence capable of big impact, Michael could bring levity to any situation with his sharp wit. A roster of his most famous lines has been carefully maintained and carried on by his K&L colleagues.
He took pride in helping agricultural families plan and navigate the permit processes and his efforts helped bring development projects online for South Burlington commercial and residential real estate developer O’Brien Brothers. He provided services to the Air National Guard and Burlington International Airport; did work for Vermont Technical College, Green Mountain College and Northern Vermont University; and also aided in much-needed waterline projects in North Hero. He held a special interest in recreation projects throughout his career and worked on the Burlington Greenway Bike/Walk Path; the track and athletic facilities at Colchester and Essex High Schools; and helped in the reconstruction of the Colchester Causeway trail.
Michael was an innovative thinker who could see solutions when others only saw problems. He was the first call for many in times of crisis, offering favors freely and without tally, but shied away from any hero status bestowed upon him. Always early and never late, Michael possessed an unmatchable work ethic that allowed him to always give more than was asked. He believed one could make their own luck with a combination of hard work and calculated risk, yet he always held space for random factors that could yield unexpected outcomes.
Instruction manuals were always optional.
A gentle soul, Michael could only describe anger as a “negative reaction” to those he loved. He was an adoring grandfather who never resisted an opportunity to fly a kite or build sandcastles and snowmen. Golden retrievers held a special power that could melt his stoic heart.
Many nights, Michael could be found tending the grill while tapping his toe along to the radio with a glass of wine. He proudly perfected his cinnamon roll and pizza recipes and relished the reaction they received. He found peace in nature and enjoyed hobbies such as gardening, bird watching, kayaking, cross-country skiing and biking. He had a talent for woodworking and a deep appreciation for any mastery of craft.
Michael collected maps on all of his travels. Favorite destinations included touring Napa Valley, California; visiting Zion National Park in Utah and the Grand Canyon in Arizona; skiing in Colorado; walking the Maine shoreline; and biking through Prince Edward Island in Canada. And while he could study a single map for hours, it was the thrill of an unexpected detour that delighted him the most. At the dawn of any new adventure, Michael was known to wish, “May the wind be always at your back and the sunshine warm upon your face.” In his final days, he found solace while biking on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Michael James Burke.