Connor Burke, age 49, of Wolfeboro, NH and Harahan, LA (could never make up his mind:), passed away unexpectedly September 30, 2015 in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Connor, (fondly referred to as) "Bones" as a youngster, grew up adventuring thru the woods and boating on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, NH. He later moved to York, PA where he had a good fighting Irish of a time (no matter what he was doing or who he was doing it with.) Connor was a kind, loving soul with a twinkle in his eyes and always the best partner in crime. After graduating high school in 1985 in York and taking a long journey of soul searching, he joined the Navy in 1988-1992. Following his Navy days, he had a long career in truck driving, swiping many parked cars, along the way.

He loved college football. Saturdays during football season you could always find him sitting either at home in his recliner or in a sports bar watching as many TV screens as possible, keeping up with all the games and waiting anxiously for favorite teams, Notre Dame and Alabama, to play. He loved and admired Coaches Lou Holtz and Joe Paterno. His favorite NFL team was the New England Patriots and his favorite MLB team was the Boston Red Sox.

Connor loved being outdoors. He loved the beach, roller blading, running and bike riding. He loved impromptu road trips. The funny thing was, you could always count on him to get you lost. Eventually, he would get back on the right path, but the detour was the best part. Longer road trips always called for the Beach Boys & Elton John CD's and a large bag of Peanut M&Ms.


His all-time favorite movie was, of course, Rudy. He never tired of watching that movie. When it came to music, Connor had very eclectic taste. His taste ranged from Mozart to Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra to AC/DC and Boston. He especially loved listening to John Denver whenever he was in a drinking mood on Saturday evenings at home after watching a full day of college football. "I hear her voice in the mornin' hour she calls me/ The radio reminds me of my home far away / And drivin' down the road I get a feeling / That I should have been home yesterday / Country roads, take me home / To the place I belong" / Wolfeboro New Hampshire".

Connor is survived by the one true love of his life, Karen Feicht Burke and through god's grace, their beautiful daughter Kathryn Eileen Burke, his gifted photographer sister-in-law Nilay Burke, his bright and talented nephew Devon Burke as well as his martini-sipping father, Retired Lt. Colonel Patrick W. Burke. In keeping with Irish Catholic Tradition, he leaves behind a long and storied list of siblings; Nora, Kerry, Shannon, Michael and Tara (all Burke's of course).

Everyone who remembers Connor is asked to celebrate his life in their own way; telling a 'He wasn't so bad' or 'What an ...' story of their choosing. Chocolate cake and a beverage of your choice should be part of any celebration. He always found humor in every situation. It was a great way to cope with life. Whatever it was, he managed to get through it by laughing at it and getting you to laugh.

A celebration of life will follow in the Spring when the flowers are blooming and the birds are chirping. Stay tuned for the location of the rowdiest Irish Bar we can find in Pensacola. In August, a celebration will happen in Wolfeboro as the boats are sailing by, Mitt Romney is waiting in line at Baileys and the laughter of children is all around.

Instead of flowers, Connor would hope that you will do an unexpected act of kindness for some less fortunate soul. Connor embraced everyone equally and despised people who were racist and hypocritical. And, as any true Boston Red Sox fan, he despised the NY Yankees, too!

Dia Speen go dtí go gcasfar le chéile sinn arís (God Speed until we meet again).

Cheers.