Obituary of Steven V. Burke

Steven V. Burke of Monroe, an illustrious man of great love and perseverance, passed away suddenly at age 57 on Friday, December 6, 2019. He was the beloved husband of Stacy Scardefield, son of the late William Burke and Astred Viola Johnson, and stepson to Bonnie Burke. He was born on August 2, 1962 in St. Paul, MN, grew up in Arlington, VA, and spent most of his adult life in New Jersey and Connecticut. He was a man who could sit down with anyone and ask questions they'd never been asked with a vocabulary as vast as a word of the day calendar, enthusiastic and kind as a favorite grade-school teacher, and possessed an empathetic nature as immediate as a best friend. Steven proudly obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Virginia Tech and would never fail to remind everyone that his education was fully compensated by his Washington Post paper route. He had a distinguished and diversified career as a statistician, first in consumer products and eventually in pharmaceutical clinical research. He was extremely dedicated to his work and passionate about supporting his family. His philosophical mind contributed to him being an avid reader and endearingly long-winded conversationalist. He enjoyed trips to the ocean, inhaled bran of all kinds, possessed an uncanny Dairy Queen radar, could name most any song and artist within a moment, cherished walks and bike rides with his wife, reveled in zen literature, and though he experienced a concurrently hilarious and distressing treadmill accident years ago, his fervor for running persisted. His greatest enjoyment was simply found in time spent with his family and friends -- including the furry ones. He was a devoted, excitedly-in-love husband and a genuinely wonderful son, brother, uncle, friend and colleague. To say he will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him is a dire understatement. In addition to his wife Stacy of 18 years, other survivors include his brother, David Burke of Preston, MN, his brother-in-law, Stephen Scardefield of Severna Park, MD, his sister-in-law, Gale "Gusty" Scardefield of Littleton, CO, his niece Kaylyn Scardefield of New York, NY, his nephews, Andrew Scardefield of Severna Park, MD and Samuel Scardefield of Chicago, IL, several extended family members including step siblings and cousins. Steven was predeceased by his brothers, John and Ronald Burke. A celebration of Steven's life will take place at Abriola Parkview Funeral Home on January 4, 2019 at 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that memorial contributions be made to any charity of your choice.