Obituary of Thurma Wayne Burke

Thurma Wayne Burke 93 of Roanoke, beloved mother, grandmother, and friend died peacefully on Tuesday November 3, 2015. Thurma is preceded by her husbands, Welton Anderson, a casualty of WWII, and Henry Burke, her sister, Jonell Barbour, and a son, Robert Anderson. Thurma is survived by her two nieces, Linda Callarman and Lana Bradstreet, and a nephew, Robert Callahan, of Texas. In Roanoke, Thurma lived close to her daughter, Betty Burke and son-in-law, Robert Crawford. Along with her granddaughters, Clare and Lisa Crawford. Thurma was born on June 13, 1922 to the late Walter and Velma Cooper in Dillard, Oklahoma, and grew up in Nocona, Texas; she lived in Denison, Sherman, and Fort Worth, Texas, before moving to Denton, Texas, where she lived most of her life until she moved to Roanoke in 2003, soon taking residence in Elm Park Estates, where her grace, generosity, and good humor made her many dear friends. While at Elm Park, Thurma was a member of the Roanoke Valley Baptist Temple. Thurma was an active artist while in Texas, painting in oils, acrylics, and watercolor, though her interest eventually settled on watercolor. Landscapes and regional scenes were her favorite subjects; she exhibited her paintings and received recognition, and awards in shows of the Southwestern Watercolor society and the North Texas Watercolor Society, organizations in which she was active. For many years, Thurma was employed in the Denton Photography Studio of Emily Cunningham, where part of her responsibility was retouching, and hand coloring prints. A memorial service celebrating Thurma’s life will be held at a later date at Elm Park Estates.