David Tyng Burke

David Tyng Burke, 86, of Houston, TX passed away peacefully surrounded by family on July 18, 2024. David was born on November 19, 1937 to John Moore Burke, Jr. and Elena Tyng Burke in Tyler, Texas. He grew up primarily in Tyler, where he met lifelong friends and spent many days, and maybe a few beer-fueled nights, with his brothers and friends at the cottage on Lake Tyler. When David’s father was called to service as a physics professor during WWII, the family temporarily relocated to Austin, where young David traversed Austin alone, on sidewalks and city buses, from school to his father’s office at the University of Texas. This time in Austin ignited David’s lifelong love for the University of Texas, where he later returned, joined the FIJI fraternity and graduated with both architecture and structural engineering degrees. More importantly, he met the love of his life, Mary Ann Maresh from Edna, Texas. Years later, whenever they drove the family through West Campus, they would point out to their kids the window Mom crawled out of to see Dad, and retell stories of early dates on shoestring budgets. What can we say Mom, the man liked peaches. After graduation, David and Mary Ann married, settled in Houston and true to the writing on the honeymoon car, made the population grow. They were blessed with four children, Michelle, David, Chris and Elena. In 1968 they moved the family to Briargrove Park, where David and Mary Ann became fixtures in the neighborhood for the next 55 years. There they met lifelong friends with whom they played tennis, enjoyed parties, traveled, formed their own renegade Indian Guides group, and raised their kids. David was known to be handy around the house, whether it was maintenance, repairs, or building things like a giant playhouse for the kids and their friends, or a coffin for a dear friend’s 40th Birthday “wake”. As a father, David dispensed knowledge and advice generously, and punishment sparingly, but not too sparingly. He and Mary Ann led 3 and 4-week family road trip adventures across the US in a loaded down suburban that helped define four childhoods. David insisted he was perfectly capable of eating fried chicken while negotiating a 2-lane mountain pass. And no, we’re not playing that game anymore until Dad makes the turn he’s already missed twice. David’s professional life as an architect and engineer started with a local firm, and after a few years he hung out his own shingle. He and his associates designed and managed construction of various facilities, but he was quietly most proud of his Catholic churches, rectories and schools in Rosenburg, Crosby, Channelview, Buffalo and Edna. He often rose in the early morning hours to work in the dining-room-turned-office, before helping get the kids off to school, then heading in to the office to work. Late at night, their kids’ dreams were often punctuated by the sound of David dictating specifications, and Mary Ann’s typing. David and Mary Ann were strong in their Catholic faith and raised their family to believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to pray to Mary for intercession. To this day, David holds the family record for the fastest prayer before dinner. Mass was not to be missed, and no, we’re not skipping just because we are on vacation and in shorts….we’re just passing through, we’ll sit in back, nobody will know us. Some of his happiest times were traveling with Mary Ann to holy sites across Europe, discovering what made each site special, then finding out from locals what other secret chapel or grotto was just a few towns away. David’s later years were spent traveling, “farming” in Weimar, or fishing in Port O’Connor, but he would never miss an opportunity to enjoy his 7 grandchildren as “Poppy”. They were a pure joy to him, and he lit up at the sight, or even mention, of them, and they got away with stuff that would never fly in the Burke house we grew up in. During the last few years of his life, David faced mounting health problems with strength, dignity and grace, with Mary Ann at his side, strengthened by their faith in God. Even through his failing health, he always made time for his family and Longhorn Football. David is preceded in death by his parents and older twin brothers, George Strother Burke and John Malcolm Burke. He is survived by Mary Ann Burke, his loving wife of nearly 62 years, and children Michelle (Paul) Jordan of Austin, David (Missy) Burke of Houston, Chris (Sarah) Burke of Houston, Elena (Shane) Walsh of Lakeway, and seven beloved grandchildren: Kyle and Brandon Walsh; Maddie, Caroline and Meredith Burke; and Mary Elizabeth and Blake Burke. Our family would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to the caregivers at LaDonna’s Dreamcare, the nurses at Golden Creek Hospice Care and the nurses and staff at The Buckingham for the love and support they have given to Mom and Dad. A Visitation will be held at Dettling Funeral Home, 14094 Memorial Drive, on Tuesday, July 30th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. with a Rosary at 7:00 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., July 31st at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. A private burial service will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Schulenburg, Texas. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to: The St. John the Baptist Cemetery Preservation Fund (https://victoriadiocese.org/donate-st-john-the-baptist-st-john Please note “Cemetery Preservation Fund” in the Donor Acknowledgement field.) Or CatholicTV.org, which helped keep Mom and Dad connected to their faith in later years.

David Tyng Burke

November 19, 1937 - July 18, 2024