Lena D. Burke, 76, of Spring Hill, FL, died Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at Concord Hospital in Concord, NH after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born on August 22, 1947, in Boston, MA, a daughter of the late Redmond F. and Lena M. (Miller) Minucci. She had been a snowbird to FL for the past 20 years while spending summers between Webster and Londonderry, NH and Parsonsfield, ME.
Lena spent much of her childhood in South Boston, MA; with a few relocations around the US while her father was in the Coast Guard. She raised her family in Salem, NH when they moved to Arlington Pond in 1976. There you would see her out on the lake fishing, rowing around in her rubber boat or canoe, tending to her beautiful rose bushes and lilacs, or painting ceramics when she ran her ceramics business out of the garage. She was also an avid candlepin bowler and enjoyed her weekly ladies league.
Lena loved playing cards, Yahtzee, backgammon, and was an avid gamer – she had all the gaming systems and tons of games that she played with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved going to the fairs and beaches of NH & FL for long walks and collecting seashells and sand dollars. And she couldn’t pass a flea market or yard sale without stopping to search for more games to add to her collection. She enjoyed her trips back and forth to FL and up to ME and Canada driving her RV back in the day. But Lena found the most joy spending time with her family and will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, “Nana” and great grandmother.
She is survived by her husband of 58 years, William J. Burke, Sr. of Spring Hill, FL; her son, William J. Burke, Jr. of Parsonsfield, ME; two daughters, Lena D. Benesty and her husband James of Londonderry, NH, and Catherine E. Burke-Michaud and her husband James of Webster, NH; six grandchildren, Tianna, Alyssa, Ian, James, William, and Angelina; three great grandchildren, Meredith, Kenneth, and Addison; her brother, Wayne F. Minucci of Plymouth, MA; two sisters, Mary (Mason) Tylus of Kingston, NH, and Carol "Diane" McCaig of FL; as well as several nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by two brothers, Redmond W. “Ray” Minucci of South Boston, MA and Ronald L. Minucci of Hudson, FL.
Following cremation, the family will be planning a Celebration of Life for May 18, 2024. Details with time and location will be forthcoming.