William "Bill" Burke

February 12, 2022

William "Bill" Burke

Service Details

William Joseph Burke (Bill), 72, of Ankeny, IA passed away on February 12, 2022, after a long battle with non-alcoholic liver failure. Bill approached his illness in the same way he approached his life, trusting the Lord, and filled with strength and grace.

Bill was born on January 4, 1950, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Paul and Elizabeth, joining the family with his “little big sister,” Barb at their home in Madrid, IA. Bill graduated from Madrid High School in 1968, attended the first mechanical drafting school classes at DMACC in Ankeny, IA graduating in August of 1969, and married the love of his life the same month. After graduation, Bill opened Burke & Associates providing drafting services for several companies in the area. Bill also designed custom homes, commercial buildings, and several churches. Bill received an Associate of Arts from DMACC in 1988, a Bachelor of Arts in Counseling from Grandview College in 1990, and a Master of Science in Human Behavior from Drake University in 1995.

Bill was the ever faithful, kind, and loving spouse to his beloved wife Gwynne. The two traveled together in itinerant gospel music and puppet ministry for many years with their son Joshua, and the ever-present help of Gwynne’s mother, Jeanne. Bill was a man for all missions, often switching from operating complex puppets like “Jellybean” for children’s ministry, to sharing wisdom from the Bible.

Bill was a steadfast and loyal husband and father who loved his family deeply and loved his Lord above all. The hallmarks of Bill’s life were his sense of peace and his sense of humor. He was always willing to help and he knew what to do to get the job done. Bill loved more than anything to study his Bible, learn about his Lord, and then demonstrate what he had learned in his outward life.

Bill is survived by his wife Gwynne, son Joshua (Amy), grandson Caleb, sister Barb Moore (Chuck), nephews Brett Moore (Jessica) and their children, Adam Moore (Leslie) and their children, brother-in-law Arlan Pence (Jayne), niece Courtney Long (Gerrit), nephew Derek Benz (Julia), great-nieces Bryanna Kirk (Gerald) and Gabrielle Long, great-nephew Noah Benz, and many lifelong friends.

Services will be held on February 26, 2022, at 2:00 PM, with a visitation preceding at 1:00 PM. All services will be held at Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens, 121 NW 60th Ave. Des Moines, Iowa 50313. Private inurnment in Union Cemetery in Polk City, IA. will occur at a later date.

In lieu of flowers or memorials, please consider donating blood in honor of Bill at LifeServe or your local blood donation center. The generous and precious gift of blood donations gave us all many more years of life with Bill.

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