Brenda Lee Thurston Burke
Join us in celebrating Brenda—please share your stories and photos, and help spread the word about this page!
Brenda Lee Thurston Burke, age 56, of Dubuque, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at her home. To celebrate Brenda’s life, family and friends may visit from 3:00 p.m. until 6:15 p.m., on Monday, June 6, 2022, at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street. Funeral services will be held at 6:30 p.m., on Monday at Behr Funeral Home with Deacon John Stierman officiating. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
Brenda was born on July 26, 1965, in Dubuque, Iowa, daughter of Robert and Charlene (Hedley) Thurston.
Brenda graduated from Hempstead High School in Dubuque. She was a hard worker and was employed with Kennedy’s Aquarium, FDL, Farmland, and recently retired from Rousselet. While working at FDL Brenda met Walter Burke, and the couple married on May 12, 1999, at Eagle Point Park in Dubuque. They happily just celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary. Brenda truly loved being outdoors. She liked to go camping with family and friends, fishing and morel hunting. She was also an avid racing fan regularly attending stock car races. In recent months she enjoyed spending quiet time at home working on jigsaw puzzles. Everyone who knew her knew that Brenda also had a great love for her dogs. Family was always the most important aspect of Brenda’s life and she had a special bond with her nieces and nephews. We are truly heartbroken at the sudden loss of Brenda in our daily lives. She will be greatly missed!
Those left to cherish Brenda’s memory include
her husband,
Walter Burke, Dubuque, IA;
2 step-daughters,
Amber Connolly, Dubuque, IA
and Kelly Burke, Dubuque, IA;
5 step-grandchildren;
a sister,
Joyce Jarding, Epworth, IA;
her nieces and nephews,
Jesse Neuhaus, Jaime (Kaleb) Klar, Aubrianna Jarding, Isabella Jarding and Jarrod Jarding;
an aunt,
Sharon (Richard) Carner, Earlville, IA;
and an uncle,
Charles (Ramona) Thurston Jr., Sherrill, IA.
Brenda was preceded in death by her parents; her maternal grandfather, Al Hedley; her maternal grandmother, Lillian and John Hendricks; her paternal grandparents, Charles and Bernice Thurston; her step-father, Ralph Thiltgen; a sister, Cindy Thurston; and a brother-in-law, James Neuhaus.
The family will thankfully receive your support through greeting cards and memorials in Brenda’s memory which may be mailed to Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Attn. Brenda Burke Family.
To visit our floral store. (http://behr-funeral-home.tributestore.com?oId=25026381&tag=&tn=V2MSticky|FreeTreeTestFC&otv=Frazer_MS2_Cont&source=tco_description&mtph=1)