Ed Burke, 60

It didn’t take Daniel Burke long to remember an example of his older brother’s generosity. “In 1988, I was a caddie on the PGA tour and may car had gone kaput,” Daniel said. “I was staying with him in Woodmere. I didn’t have a car. Eddie gave me his. It was an old Sentra, and he had to go out and buy a new car. He gave of his time and resources freely.”

Eddie Burke died of colon cancer, which he battled for four years, on Oct. 5. He was 60.

The second sibling of six Burke children born to Edward Joseph Burke Sr. and Margaret Dolores Burke, Eddie was the teaching golf pro at the Woodmere Club for the past 29 years. Daniel said he started his 30th in May, but his illness overtook him and he headed to Texas, where his family moved in 1980.

An extremely talented amateur golfer, Eddie played in the Westchester Classic, a Professional Golfers’ Association event, and won the Duchess County amateur tournament and other tournaments in upstate New York, according to Daniel. The family was originally from Poughkeepsie.

“When he was a kid, he was a great baseball player,” said Daniel, who is a decade younger than Eddie. “When it was winter in Woodmere, he would go to Florida and play golf. He also went to Texas and invested in real estate. He would buy the right property. He was pretty good at it.”

A member of the PGA of America-Metropolitan Section, Eddie taught club members how to play golf. He also lived in Franklin Square and Rockaway through the years. His family settled in Texas. His parents and three siblings in Austin, and Daniel and another sibling live in San Antonio.

“I loved him and he was the kindest person I know,” said Janice Metzler, who worked at the Woodmere Club with Eddie and was his partner for 16 years. “I will miss him terribly.”

Eddie is survived by his parents, Edward Joseph Burke Sr. and Margaret Dolores Burke, Daniel, his oldest sister, Barbara St. Thomas, another sister Mary Jude Burke, and his other brothers, Martin and the youngest Burke sibling, Kevin; and Janice Metzler.

A memorial mass is scheduled for Oct. 14, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Austin. On Oct. 19, there will be a memorial for Eddie at the Woodmere Club at 6:30 p.m. Metzler said anyone can come and speak. RSVP to jmet684976@aol.com. The club is at 99 Meadow Drive in Woodmere.

In lieu of flowers, Eddie asked that contributions be made to the Eagle’s Wings Retreat Center, 2805 Ranch Road 2341, Burnet, TX. 78611. The website is https://ewrc.org.