Fern M. Burke

Fern M. Burke, aged 90, passed away on October 10, 2023, at the age of 90.

     She was born on January 1, 1933, in Chouteau, Oklahoma, the daughter of Robert Franklin and Elva Cross Mann.  Fern was raised on a farm in rural Choutea, where she learned to become and amazing horse woman and lover of the land.  She would   attend Chouteau High School, graduating in 1951. On November 2, 1951, she married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Gerald Burke.  Fern's father Robert Mann always told Gerald that he took the best cowhand he had.   They made their home in Tulsa, where they raised their family. In 1981, they moved to Inola and started raising cattle.

     Fern also worked for Hallmark for many years. She was a  devoted member of the First Baptist Church of Inola, where she taught Sunday school and served as the children's director,     outreach director, and Baptism director.  Fern also had a deep passion for gardening, reading, bird-watching, and working with cattle, but her greatest joy was being with her family.

     Survivors include her daughter, Regina Smith, and husband Ozzie, her son, Leon Burke, and wife Jill, along with her grandchildren: Joshua Smith and wife Olivia, Montana Smith and wife Brittany , Cole Burke and wife Allison, Ivan Smith,  Corianne Cox, and husband Ryan, Shaye Carbajal and husband Mike, and Christina Smith. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Noah, Zeke, Elijah, Jasmia, Zander, Roman, Aziah, Bretta, and Brynn; great-great-granddaughter, Alaia. Fern's surviving       siblings include Gail Froese and husband Wes, Kay Eck and husband Walt, Cathy Clevenger, and Albert Mann.

     She is preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Elva Mann, granddaughter Hayden Lago, and her siblings: Frankie Mann, and Elsie Stolzer. Fern's memory will forever live on in the hearts of those who loved her.

View and sign Fern’s online memorial at www.mmsfuneralhomes.com