Julia Burke

Julia Marie (Gafford) Burke, age 79, passed away peacefully on June 8, 2023. She was born on December 8th, 1943, to Julius Mancel Gafford and Pearl Marie (Wykoff) Gafford Wallis.

Julia's family moved often during her childhood. She and her brothers, Edward Gafford and James Gafford, were very close due to their changing environment. Julia always seemed to be the glue that bound them tightly together.

As a young woman, Julia met and fell in love with Richard Burke. They were married at First Methodist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. They celebrated 58 wonderful years of marriage in August 2022.

Julia and Richard moved to Houston in the 1970s, where she worked as an executive administrative assistant for several engineering firms. Their home in Houston was always open to friends and family, and many happy memories were made there. In the 1980s, they moved to Portland, Texas to a home near the bay. During this time, Julia worked at St. James Episcopal school in Corpus Christi for 13 years as an administrative secretary. It seemed like she loved this period of her career most of all.

Faith and family were two of the most important things in Julia's life. She was incredibly proud of her nieces and nephews. Even though they live in many locations throughout the world, she kept everyone close to her heart and enjoyed giving updates on everyone's lives and careers.

She was known for her extraordinary memory and extremely sharp mind. She was also a voracious reader. She enjoyed reading the Bible and found courage and serenity in life through a spiritual path. She enjoyed reading novels of many types. She was also a photography enthusiast and leaves us with many lovely photographs from her journeys.

Julia and Richard traveled extensively, and when she regaled you with stories of her past adventures they were told so vividly and with such detail, that you felt you had visited too. She was a great raconteur, and you never had to worry about awkward gaps in a conversation, because they didn't happen when Julia was around. She cherished her past experiences of all kinds, from escapades with Richard in Mexico during the 1970s, to family fishing trips in the Laguna Madre, more recently to Alaska with Richard, to France with her brother and sister-in-law, and beyond.

Julia loved animals. Knowing Julia was also to know how much she treasured her dogs. They were beloved members of her family. And not only did she love her own dogs, but she also loved everyone else's pets. Not a visit passed when she didn't ask about them. The homeless cats in her neighborhood (and perhaps even a fox or two) are also going to miss the food and love she provided.

Julia is preceded in death by her parents Pearl Wallis and Julius Gafford and her brother James Gafford. She is survived by her husband Richard Burke of Portland, Texas; brother Edward and sister-in-law Helene Gafford of Houston; sister-in-law Loretta Jahn of Corpus Christi; sister-in-law Elizabeth Burke of Round Rock; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church, Portland, Texas, the Gulf Coast Humane Society, or to a charity of one's choice.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, Portland, Texas, 4545 Wildcat Dr, Portland, Texas, on Thursday, July 6 at 10:00 AM. Following the service, a reception will be held at the church fellowship hall.