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Marie Katherine Burke, known as “Kay Kay,” of Newtown, Connecticut, died on March 8. She was 88 and had been a resident of Southampton from 1966 to 2005.
Born in Rochester on January 30, 1927, she was one of Claire and Carl Loewenguth’s six children. On June 14, 1947, she married William Thomas Burke in Rochester, and together they had seven children, Timothy, Kathryn, Antonio, Randolph, Abigail, Bridgit and Bonnie. She also was the grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of one. Survivors said her happiest moments were spent with family.
After raising her seven children, she attended Southampton College and earned a degree in art education. Later she inspired the development of The Clubhouse, a program for the mentally ill in Riverhead, and was an active member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York. She was a prolific painter and taught children’s art classes through her Tree House Studio and at Our Lady of the Hamptons. She was also a tutor for the children of migrant workers on eastern Long Island.
When she was born, women in the United States had only had the right to vote for less than 10 years, but she never accepted limitations, survivors said. She was a mother, teacher, advocate, artist and adventurer, serving as an inspiration to the men and women who knew her. It is fitting that she passed on the international Day of Women, as she was an amazing woman who lived a full life and who enriched the lives of others as well, survivors said.
A devout Catholic, she taught many lessons on charity, social justice and acceptance throughout her life. She cared for the sick and those in need. Survivors said she will be best remembered for her love of life and her zany, fun-loving personality, livening up a room with song and dance, donning a costume with flare or setting off on an adventure either by road or on a sailboat.
A memorial service will be held on June 20 at 10 a.m. at the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Southampton.
Memorial donations may be made to Impact Network, an organization that her grandson, Noah Schick, works with to build schools in Zambia, www.impactnetwork.org; or The Children’s School, a school directed by her daughter, Kathryn Bishop, in Southampton, www.thechildrensschoolsouthampton.com.
on Mar 16, 2015