John Burke, Jr. born October 12, 1927, passed away peacefully at the NY State Veteran’s Home at Montrose, NY on Monday, January 6, 2014. 

John was born in Holyoke, MA, and graduated from Holyoke High School before entering the US Navy. Following his honorable discharge John attended Williston Academy before enrolling at Columbia University graduating in 1995. He was employed by Columbia until his retirement.

He continued to be active working for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) before it moved to Washington,, DC. He also worked for the New York Times Election Polling Department as a researcher for the CBS News Election & Survey Unit, and he had a plant store called “Green Pastures” on 111th and Amsterdam. He could always be found in the neighborhood of Broadway and 112th Street where he was known by many as the “Mayor of Broadway”.

He is survived by his four nieces and nephews and their families. He is also survived by his “NY family – the Lashers” who cared for John in his last years.