Josie Burke

Josephine Ann Burke (née Gorgone), born November 23, 1944, passed away on February 1st, 2023, surrounded by her family at home. She was 78 years old.

Josie was born and raised in Trenton, MI. She earned her bachelor and masters degrees from Eastern Michigan University, where she also met her first husband George. They moved to Wyandotte, MI to start their family and were happily married for 18 years. She was widowed at a young age and moved her children back to Trenton to raise them with the support of her mother, Grace. Some years later, she met Mark Boyanowski and his young daughter Ellen through his aunt and her dear friend, Rose, and they married in 1987. They had many adventures together and in the past years he also became her loving caregiver.

Josie was an educator. She was a proud teacher in the Southgate and Melvindale school districts for over 30 years. She was her teacher’s union president. After retirement Josie set her sights on equity for girls and women as she became involved in her local and national chapters of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), eventually becoming president of the Downriver AAUW. Josie was a true believer in the struggle for a better society. She loved to travel, especially to Italy from where her parents immigrated. She enjoyed bridge and tennis. Her family and her friendships meant the world to her. She was a completely selfless and intuitive mother and an overall beautiful woman who affected the lives of many. Everyone who met Josie was dazzled by her smile.

She is survived by her husband Mark Boyanowski, her son George J. Burke IV (Lara Chinarro), and her daughters Colleen Burke (Munaf Rayani) and Ellen Boyanowski; her granddaughters Isabel, Carmen and Farah Josephine; her sisters Rose Monitz and Grace Dolores Carlson. She is also survived by her many nieces and nephews and beloved in-laws from both marriages. Josie is preceded in death by her first husband George J. Burke III, her parents Grace and Joe Gorgone, her eldest sister Yolanda Pomrenke, and her dear friend Rose Marie Gerbi.

Josie’s family invites you to a memorial gathering Friday, February 10th 1:00pm-9:00pm at The Trenton Chapel of The Martenson Family of Funeral Homes. All are welcome to a Requiem Mass Saturday, February 11th 10:00am-11:00am at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Trenton. A luncheon will immediately follow at Orlando's Familia Banquet Hall at the Riverview Golf Course.

If you would like to donate to the Josephine Burke Memorial Scholarship, you may do so by writing a check to “AAUW Wyandotte Downriver Foundation” with the name of the scholarship in the memo line. The check can be mailed to: 29726 Bayview Dr., Grosse Ile, MI 48138. Your donation will go directly toward supporting the higher education of a downriver woman, a scholarship that Josie worked to ensure for many years.