A Tribute to Grandpa Burkie

This morning my Grandpa Burke passed away. It's not entirely unexpected but still something of a surprise. He has been in the hospital and has had a few really close calls in the past few years. But, of course, it's sad and there are so many of us who will miss him. He had 14 children, including my mom, who is technically his niece, but who he raised as if she were his own when she needed a stable family. He had 92 grandchildren and 87 great grandchildren! So this morning I have been thinking about some of the things I have learned from my Grandpa Burke. Here are a few, but I'm sure there are a lot more!

* To work hard, but always make time for naps when you need them. Even if it ends up being curled up on the floor in the corner of a room full of gabbing relatives. Sometimes you've got to just "go think about it for awhile."

* To be punctual. If you weren't in the car when it was time to leave, he would just go without you.

* Watermelon is a necessity on hot summer days. Grandpa had a special and pretty brilliant way of cutting up watermelon and generally had several in his possession at any family gathering. He could cut up a big watermelon in just a few minutes. When it came to other meals he generally just piled everything together and mixed it up and ate it. He said it was all going to be mixed in your stomach so why not start out that way.

* To never let a man mistreat you. I will never forget the talking to (and kick to the butt) he gave one of my brothers after he kicked me when we were kids. And the words he spoke to me afterward about never letting a man hurt me and get away with it.

* About the Birds and the Bees. I'm pretty sure he was the first to ever bring up the subject with me, and though I don't remember being really clear on what in the world he was talking about I am grateful he cared enough to bring it up. All the grandkids knew that sooner or later they would get "the talk" from him!

* To be kind to animals. Grandpa always had lots of fun animals at the ranch. Dogs, cats, miniature horses and even several pet deer that he found wounded in the fields over the years and brought home and nursed them back to health and then they never left. And of course, there was Wilma, the enormous pet pig that followed him everywhere and who would try to climb up on the 4 Wheeler so she could go places with him.

* To never look at the end of a cow's udder even if your grandpa tells you there's a star shape there. I'm surprised I don't have serious trust issues!  :)

* That family is the most important thing. For years he and grandma Carolyn have organized big family gatherings at least once a year. For a long time we went to Heaton Basketball Camp where all the cousins spent a week learning basketball drills, gaining confidence and learning to persevere even when they were tired and sore. They also organized family reunion weekends every year. When I was young we went to Sherwood Hills (a resort in Logan Canyon) and Bear Lake mostly. For the past 10 years or so they've had the reunion at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho where grandpa could always be found hauling truckloads of kids and tubes up to the top of the river run for hours each day.

* To show up for people. Grandma and Grandpa have attended just about every single important event for all 100+ of their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren whether it be a graduation, birth, wedding, or religious event. One time they even drove 3 hours to come to the Salt Lake City airport just so they could see me and the kids for about 15 minutes before we boarded our plane to fly back to Memphis.

* To take care of your body. Grandpa was a great supporter of the Word of Wisdom, which is a code of health followed by the LDS church. He would often talk about the importance of eating healthy and even thought you should eat very little red meat (a part of the Word of Wisdom that most people generally ignore)...even though he was a rancher his whole life.

* Remember your roots. Grandpa always made time to visit his home town of Alton, UT and to go visit his relatives that still lived there. He especially seemed to like spending the 4th of July there. He can be seen wearing his I love Alton hat in a lot of his pictures.

* To take care of others. Besides the 14 children Grandma and Grandpa raised of their own they also took in literally dozens of other kids and teenagers over the years. Pretty much if you had a troubled teen you sent them to Burke and Carolyn's (whether you were related or not!) and they straightened them out and sent them back. I remember there almost always being a random stranger living with grandma and grandpa every time we went for a visit.

* To tell the truth. Even if it's not what someone wants to hear, sometimes they need to hear it anyway.

* To look nice when the occasion requires it. Grandpa was a rancher and was most comfortable in his jeans, flannel shirts and suspenders, but he did get cleaned up when the occasion required it. In fact, I remember once when I was young we were visiting and had gone to church with Grandpa. My brother hadn't brought a tie and my Grandpa made him choose from a really awful selection of old ties that he kept in the trunk of his car for just such occasions! Apparently he didn't have one when they took this last picture I have of him though!

He was a great man and will be missed! Love you Grandpa Burkie!