Anna Gene Burke

Anna Gene (Johnson) Burke was born on September 6, 1922 the daughter of Andrew and Nora (Sorenson) Johnson of Rock Lake, Minnesota. She was baptized into the Presbyterian faith. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church in Russell and then the United Church of Christ in Garvin. Anna Gene attended rural grade school and graduated from Russell High School in 1939 at the age of 16. She attended Mankato State Teachers College obtaining a two year teaching certificate in 1941. She taught three years at a rural school in the Balaton area. Anna Gene married Don Burke on June 8, 1944. The couple lived in Minneapolis for a year where she taught at Eagle Lake; there they made lifelong friends with the Mapson and Seleen families. They moved back to the Balaton/Russell area and began farming and raising a family. In 1959, Anna Gene went back to teaching and taught seventh and eighth grade while also being the principal in Arco. In 1962, she reached a turning point in her career when she started the first Special Education class in Lincoln County at the Tyler School. Three years later she started the first Trainable Mentally Handicapped class in Lyon County in the Tracy School District. In 1967, Anna Gene returned to Mankato State University taking night classes and summer school to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree. She retired from teaching in 1987 but continued to substitute teach for several years. Anna Gene worked hard for her education which was very important to her. She was a teacher at heart until she passed away. Anna Gene and Don were blessed with two children, Dale and Linda. She enjoyed fishing trips and card parties in her younger years with Russell friends, and camping with Garvin friends in her later years. Upon retiring they moved to a hobby farm by Tracy where they enjoyed spending time with their family including their extended Wendorff and Staufacker families. They loved to dance! You could always find them on the porch with a cup of coffee doing the crossword puzzle while they watched their garden grow. Anna Gene’s house was often called the “library south of Tracy” as a result of her love for reading and her collection of books. She was a member of the PTA, Ladies Aid, Hospital Auxiliary, and the Tracy Garden Gate Flower Club. She was a member of the Eastern Star and also Delta Kappa Gamma. Anna Gene was very involved with Special Olympics. She taught Sunday School, was a member of the Church Board, and the leader of the Pilgrim Fellowship youth group. Anna Gene was awarded “Outstanding Citizen of the Year” by the Tracy Chamber of Commerce in 2002. She spent many hours volunteering at the Wheels Across the Prairie Museum. Anna Gene cherished her time sharing chocolate malts with her great grandkids and always had hugs ready for family and friends that stopped for a visit. She passed onto her family the enjoyment of entertaining all who stop by, from those just stopping for coffee to those staying for supper or the weekend. Even in her later years, Anna Gene could be found sharing her passions by reading and teaching others around her. She was a strong willed woman with a deep faith in God, these characteristics keeping her strong until the end. On Thursday, August 30, 2018, Anna Gene’s Lord and Savior received her into Heaven, she was ninety-five years old. She is survived by her children, Dale Burke (Mt. Pleasant, SC), Linda and Jim Furan (Ramsey, MN); grandchildren, Jennifer and Kirk Super (Princeton, MN), Shannon and Jason Hoheisel (Ham Lake, MN); great-grandchildren, Gage and Sydney Super, Skyler and Madelynn Hoheisel; sister-in-law, Lorna Burke. She is preceded in death by her husband, Don; parents, Andrew and Nora Johnson; infant sister and brother; brother, Morton Johnson. A funeral service will take place on Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at 11:00 AM at the Life Remembrance Center in Tracy, MN. Visitation will take place on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM and also one hour prior to the funeral the day of, both at the Life Remembrance Center. Burial will take place immediately following the funeral service at the Lake City Cemetery in Balaton, MN. Arrangements are with the Life Remembrance Center in Tracy. Tuesday, September 04, 2018 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Wednesday, September 05, 2018 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Wednesday, September 05, 2018 11:00 AM Wednesday, September 05, 2018 12:00 PM