• Memorial Service: Friday, January 24, 2025 at 11 am at NEW VINTAGE CHURCH (6626 Beloit Rd. West Allis, WI 53219).

David Henry Burke

Passed peacefully on December 10, 2024 at age 85. He is survived by his loving wife Kathleen, to whom he was married for over 15 years. David is further survived by his two sons, James (Amy) and Brandon as well as his sister, Ida Kechula, his grandchildren, Austin and Haley and other loving relatives and friends.

David was born in Philadelphia on February 16, 1939 and grew up in Mahanoy City in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. His parents, Harry and Mary Burke, wanted to provide David with a faith-based education, so he attended the Immaculate Heart Academy in Fountain Springs, PA. He played a large role in the success of their basketball team and graduated in 1957.

David went on to college at Temple University where he obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and a PhD in Pharmacology. His tuition was paid for entirely through academic scholarships and to support himself he drove a taxi cab in Philly.

David’s first teaching job as a professor of Pharmacology was at the University of Montana in Missoula, where the family lived for three years. After a brief stint in Kansas City, he settled down at Marquette University in 1977.

David retired from Marquette University in 2001 where he taught for 24 years and authored over 30 grants. He was an avid Marquette Warriors/Golden Eagles basketball fan and season ticket holder for over 40 years. David was an accomplished woodworker and took great pride in building his own cabinets, refinishing furniture and building wood floors with fine details such as exotic wood inlays. He also took joy in the open fairways of the golf course.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 24, 2025 at 11 am at NEW VINTAGE CHURCH (6626 Beloit Rd. West Allis, WI 53219).