James Burke, 53, of Rebecca, Georgia, died Monday, December 31, 2018, at his residence.
Funeral services will be held 10 AM, Saturday, January 5, 2019, at The Fitzgerald Church of God, 601 South Merrimac Drive, Fitzgerald, Georgia, with the Rev. Dewain Joiner officiating. Private interment will follow in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Rebecca. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the services at the church.
Mr. Burke was born July 31, 1965, in Dade City, Florida, to Shirley McLemore Marsee and the late George Burke, Sr. He graduated from Riverside Military Academy and later received a bachelor’s degree from ITT in engineering. Mr. Burke moved to the community in the late 90’s. He worked for Johnson and Johnson, helping develop the Pulse Ox Indicator. He also worked in medical transport with Helping Hands and was a CASA with the Cordele Judicial Circuit. He was a people person and very dependable. Mr. Burke loved his family and was a member of the Fitzgerald Church of God, where he was an usher, greeter and worked with sound. He also volunteered weekly at the Christian Kitchen as a cook.
He is survived by his mother, Shirley McLemore Marsee of Rebecca; siblings: George & Lynn Burke of Fitzgerald and Vanessa & Tracy Young of Fitzgerald; nieces and nephews: Daniel Cribb, Dalton Dowling & Chelsea, Corey Burke, Cassie Dowling, Josh Sheldon and Chanda Burke; a great-nephew, A.J. Ellison and a great-niece, Courtney Adams.