On September 14, 2025, James Leo Burke Jr. passed away in Copley, Ohio after a long illness. Born in 1929 to JL and Grace (Cook) Burke, he grew up on the family farm southwest of Hazelton, Iowa. Graduating from Hazelton High School in 1947, he enlisted in the US Navy. Initially trained as an Aerial Gunner and Bombardier, he made a career in US Navy Aviation. Retiring in 1974 as US Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, he made seven deployments, four in the Pacific and three in the Middle East/European Theaters. When asked about his adventures, his favorite answer was “Two wars and a half a dozen international incidents, it was interesting. “
In 1952, he and Jo Ann Mebus were married. They had 3 sons. Following her death in 1996, he found a new life with Virginia (Beckner) Hughson when they married in 1998. He lost both Virginia in 2010 and his first-born son James III in 2019. He is survived by his two younger sons Jeffrey (Casey) and John (Karen), six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren with one on the way. In his waning years he took particular delight in his great grandchildren.
The family will receive friends on May 27, 2026 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. with Words of Remembrance at 3:00 p.m. at the Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A., 22955 Hollywood Road, Leonardtown, MD 20650. Interment will be May 28, 2026 at 10:45 a.m. at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
Condolences to the family may be left at www.brinsfieldsfuneral.com.
Arrangements by Brinsfield Funeral Home, P.A. in Leonardtown, MD.
