Leon J Burke

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 31, 2025, Joseph Leon Burke, age 86, left us to be with his Lord and Savior. He was greeted by Jesus, his parents, his wife, Dorothy, who went to heaven on September 16, 2016, along with many other saints that have gone before him. Leon was born to Joseph and Lucile Burke at midnight on November 7, 1938. He liked to use the 7th and the 8th as his birth date just to keep us all guessing. He is survived by his children, Dennis Burke and his wife, Leslie of Pattersonville, New York; April Fleeman and her husband, Larry of Shelby, North Carolina; and Amy Bowersox and her husband Robert of Fruitland Park, Florida. He was the proud grandfather of 8 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. He is also survived by his two brothers, Roger Burke of Ormond Beach, Florida and Howard Burke of Sand Point, Idaho. Leon grew up in the church and made the decision to accept Jesus as his personal Savior at a young age. He met his bride, Dorothy, at church and they were married on June 7, 1958. They enjoyed over 58 years of marriage before her home going. Leon worked as a car salesman and later at Southern Bell and AT&T in the marketing department. After he retired, he also worked as a substitute teacher. He was an avid sportsman, who enjoyed hunting and fishing with his son, son-in-laws and grandsons. Leon felt called to ministry as a young man. He took to heart the counsel of his pastor who told him that the Lord needed faithful men to serve Him in the local body of believers. That led Leon to over 60 years of service to the Lord in the local churches he attended. In 1978, after moving to Kissimmee, he joined Calvary Assembly. Over his 45 years, he served as the missions director, church treasurer, board member, chairman of the board, maintenance supervisor and small group leader along with his wife Dorothy. He loved to pour into the lives of his church family with many calling him "Papa Burke" . His son, Dennis, who saw his father's commitment to the Lord and His church became a pastor. Leon often visited Dennis's church, serving and helping any way he could. Leon was a godly, faithful man that will be missed dearly by his family, church family and friends. His last desire was to encourage others to completely surrender their lives to Jesus and serve Him faithfully, so that one day they would hear as he has, "Well done, my good and faithful servant". Services for Leon will be on Monday, June 23 at Osceola Memory Gardens from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM. A celebration of his life will take place Tuesday, June 24 at 10:00 AM at Calvary Assembly of Kissimmee, with the interment immediately following at Osceola Memory Gardens, 1717 Old Boggy Creek Road, Kissimmee, FL 34744. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Leon’s honor to Calvary Assembly of Kissimmee or Family Bible Church, his son Dennis’s church, at 449 Thayer Road, Amsterdam, NY 12010.

Leon J Burke

November 8, 1938 - May 31, 2025