Robert Lynn Burke Obituary (2024)

Robert Lynn Burke passed from this world to the next, December 29, 2024, a life lived to the fullest, leaving behind a legion of friends, family, and students with smiles, laughs and memories. Bob was born in Yakima, Washington, to Howard and Guinneveare Burke on August 23, 1950, who provided love and support that sustained Bob throughout his life. Bob grew up in Ellensburg and excelled in sports, playing football, basketball, and baseball, earning a reputation as a tenacious competitor on the court and on the field. Graduating from Ellensburg High School, Bob attended Central Washington University, where he played baseball for Hall of Fame Coach, Gary Frederick and earned a degree in Education. The combination of athletic endeavors and hours spent outdoors with his family and friends provided him with the philosophical foundation about the importance of childhood. That carried over into his teaching career and positively impacted thousands of students in the school districts that he worked for. Bob taught and coached in Easton, Granger, Touchet, and Granite Falls, before finding a "home" in Zillah, where he worked for 21 years. He taught fifth and sixth grades at Zillah Intermediate School, then taught Physical Education at Hilton Elementary School, Zillah Intermediate School, and Zillah Middle School. He founded the Zillah Mighty Leopards Dribbling Performance Team for fifth graders that perform in venues throughout the Yakima Valley and Washington State, astonishing spectators with their precision, discipline, and skills. A hallmark of the Mighty Leopards is that everyone can participate regardless of basketball skills and experience; for many Zillah students, being a Mighty Leopard is the pinnacle of their school memories. When Bob retired in 2012, he was proud to pass the reigns of the Mighty Leopards to Mario Mengarelli who has continued the high level of performance and legacy of the Mighty Leopards Dribbling Performance Team. Bob married the love of his life and best friend, Susan Emond, in 1989. Bob and Susan enjoyed traveling, their home life, and spending summers in Packwood, Washington, where Susan especially loved to fish. Upon retiring, Bob and Susan lived most of the year in Packwood, entertaining friends and family, playing golf, swimming and making trips to California to visit Nicole and her family. Their pride and joy were their daughter Nicole, granddaughter, Julia Grace, and grandson, Justin Angelo. They later became great grandparents to Julia's children, Brinley and Brody. Bob and Susan's incredible bond ended in 2020 with Susan's death, the mark of hospitality, friendship and love for friends and family is a lasting testament of their love and companionship. Bob's other "family" is his baseball family. He loved all sports, but his greatest passion was baseball and his hard driving style as a coach made a lasting impact on the men he coached as well as his coaching colleagues. Bob coached baseball as either a head coach or assistant at Granite Falls High School, Green River Community College, Edmonds Community College, Yakima Valley Community College, the Yakima Beetles, and Zillah High School. Bob's teams practiced hard, played hard; he expected no more of athletes and fellow coaches than he expected of himself. His coaching style and philosophy could be expressed by the motto on his pamphlet on outfield play, his specialty, "If you're going to be one-be a good one!" Bob's ability to get athletes to do more than they ever believed they could was the trademark of his teams, hard-nosed, competitive, and playing the game the right way was a reflection of him and his athletic personality. Over the years, he built an army of players and fellow coaches with fond memories of going to battle, playing the best sport on Earth with Bob. Over the course of his coaching career, Bob also coached both Men's and Women's Basketball at the high school level and middle school softball. With a mixture of tears and laughter we bid Bob farewell; few people have lived that could provoke those simultaneous emotions as readily as Bobby Burke. Bob passed from us as he lived his life, in the support of and company of his family, brother Dan, his wife Carmel, and his sister, Judy Dewald, being at his side during the waning days. Bob was preceded in death by his parents Howard and Guinneveare, his wife Susan, and Susan's parents, Frank and Stella Cumba. He is survived by his brother, Dan Burke (Carmel), sister, Judy Dewald, daughter Nicole Englert (Sean), granddaughter, Julia (Drew), grandson, Justin, great grandchildren, Brinley and Brody, sister-in-law, Linda Ralston (Ron), and numerous nieces and nephews. Bob leaves thousands of us with a sense of being lessened by his passing, but better for having known him, with smiles and laughs of countless stories and adventures of his life. A celebration of Bob's life, "Tell a Bob Burke Story," will take place at Zillah Middle School in Alumni Gym, starting at 2:00pm on Sunday, January 12th. Celebrants are invited to share a story or memory of Bob. In honor of Bob's long-standing effort and belief to "Give a Kid a Childhood," in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Zillah Booster Club earmarked for the Bob Burke Mighty Leopards Fund. Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.brooksidefuneral.com.