Virginia Marie (Murphy) Burke

WESTFORD - Virginia Marie (Murphy) Burke, 82, a resident of Westford, passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Thursday, November 18, 2021. She was the beloved wife of the late Howard T. Burke.
Born in Quincy, on June 13, 1939, she was a daughter of the late Richard and Marie (Deagle) Murphy.
Following her High School education, Virginia received a BS from the University of Lowell followed by an MBA from Rivier College. She continued her studies in the field of counseling/psychology at Cambridge College and Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry.
Virginia started her career as a teacher in the Westford Public School System, teaching secondary education. Following, she went to work for Major Aerospace Corporation in various procurement positions.
She ended her successful career as a substance abuse counselor with various treatment centers as well as a clinical fellowship program with Harvard Medical School.
Her favorite "job" was being a stay at home mom raising her children.
She had many passions in life; voracious reader, dog lover, bird watcher, a love for the ocean, cherished time with her grandchildren and family. She had a great gift for making people laugh and shared her wonderful sense of humor in almost every encounter.
Virginia leaves her three children, Marcia J. Caster and her husband Craig of Westford, Dianne M. Learnard and her husband Brad of Shirley and Richard J. Burke and his wife Jennifer (Glover) of Ft. Mill, SC; six grandchildren, Ryan William and Emily Marie Keele, Katherine and Jacob Caster, Cameron and Ava Burke; a brother, Richard Murphy and his wife Jean of Temecula, CA; a sister, Jean Manzelli of Concord, NH; a sister-in-law, Shirley Murphy; also several nieces and nephews. Virginia was predeceased by her brother John Murphy.
Relatives and friends are invited to Virginia's Memorial Visitation on Tuesday, Nov. 30, from 4 until 7 PM at the Westford Healy Funeral Home, 57 N. Main Street, Westford. Per Westford Town Ordinance, Face Coverings Are Required.Committal Prayers will be offered on Wednesday morning at 11 AM in St. Catherine Cemetery, 20 Pine Ridge Road, Westford. For those who wish, donations in her name may be made to: MSPCA at Nevin's Farm, 400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844 or mspca.org.