The Foreign Service Journal, April 2011

62 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 1 1 I N M E M O R Y friends across the country and around the world, and actively enjoyed per- forming arts events in the Washington, D.C. area. She loved gardening and hosted regular social gatherings for friends and neighbors. Ms. Corey Archer is survived by her two children, Keefer Archer of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Jona- than Archer of Arlington, Va. Linda Desmond Burke , 64, the wife of retired USAID FSO Kevin Burke, died from multiple myeloma bone cancer on Oct. 23, 2010, at her home in Buzzards Bay, Mass., sur- rounded by her family. Born and raised in Boston, Mrs. Burke graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 1964 and from Boston State College in an accelerated tri- mester program in 1967. At that time, newly wed and barely 21 years old, she joined her FSO husband Kevin in Ban- gui. There, as well as during later assignments in Haiti, Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau, Mrs. Burke proudly performed the full range of represen- tational functions then expected of a Foreign Service spouse. Whether in America or in develop- ing countries, friends and family recall, Mrs. Burke always had a strong empa- thy for the poor and underprivileged and felt privileged to be a part of the work being done to help them. From the day the plane door opened to the stifling humidity and extreme poverty of Bangui, and on through other as- signments, she was always positive and never looked back, often using humor to brighten the day of those around her. Within the Foreign Service com- munity she was universally known as the life of the party. Stateside, the Burkes made Falls Church, Va., their home. As a math teacher at her children’s schools, St. James Elementary and O’Connell High School, she was regarded as an enormously gifted teacher especially dedicated to pushing girls to excel in math. She specifically requested to work with students who found that to be their most challenging subject. She became close friends with the other teachers with whom she worked. In 1995, the couple settled in Buz- zards Bay, Mass., where Mrs. Burke cherished the time she spent with her new friends at their weekly scrabble group, the Little Harbor Golf Club and the Buzzards Bay Bowling Lea- gue. She especially loved attending the lunches, banquets and outings to Lake Morey, Vt., as well as Cape Cod Canal parties and events with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She also stayed in close contact with her many friends from Falls Church and the Foreign Service. From the initial diagnosis that she was in an advanced stage of incurable cancer, to being notified that she had only a few weeks left to live, Mrs. Burke repeatedly said: “I’m very grate- ful. I have no regrets. I’ve had a good run. I’ve been blessed with many things many people would love to have had in life.” She remained positive and resolved to enjoy every last minute with family and friends, and they credit the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute in Boston for helping to keep her fully functional and with an extremely high quality of life through to her last days. The biggest thrill of her life was her chil- dren and grandchildren and, despite a disdain for computers, she even began using Skype to stay in contact with family spread around the U.S., Ireland and Australia. In her last weeks, as the family was preparing dinner one night, Mrs. Burke grabbed a large kitchen knife and began chopping up a squash, much to the dismay of everyone around her. When her son Jim asked what she was doing, she responded with what had by then become a trademark defiant grin: “I just want to see if I can still do it!” The next day, continuing to disregard requests to let family members help her, she spilled a cup of water and burst out laughing, sarcastically singing the song “It’s Gonna Be a Great Day!” from a Bette Midler musical. Linda Burke is survived by her hus- band of 43 years, Kevin of Buzzards Bay; their sons, James (and his wife, Tricia) of Portland, Conn., Walter (and his wife, Kristy) of Raleigh, N.C., and Brendan (and his wife, Karen) of Alexandria, Va.; and their grandchil- dren Maraline, Bettina, David, Jason; as well as beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of relatives and friends. Donations in her memory may be made to a local food pantry or to the Bourne Friends Food Pantry, 20 Commerce Park, Pocasset MA 02559. James W. Dawson , 77, a retired FSO with USAID, died on April 3, 2010, of a stroke while tending to his garden at home in Tallahassee, Fla. Mr. Dawson was born in Fort Sill, Okla., in 1932 to Grace Emma Eckler and Elmore Winslow Dawson and grew up in Oklahoma and Colorado, graduating from Greeley High School in 1950. He graduated from the Uni- versity of Colorado and later com- pleted his master of public affairs