Sat Feb 11 2012
Barbara Gibbs Burke, 70, the first woman elected to the Council of the Village of Hudson, died in her sleep July 18, 2010, at her home in Walnut Creek, Calif.
She had just celebrated her 70th birthday, seemed to be in good health, and was enjoying an active life, pursuing a variety of interests and spending time with her family members and friends.
Mrs. Burke was born in Berkeley, Calif., on June 14, 1940, the first child of Charles James Gibbs and Helen Lyon Gibbs.
After completing high school in 1957, she attended Scripps College in Claremont, Calif. She was awarded a four-year scholarship, and supplemented that prize with summer jobs at Peralta Hospital in Oakland, Calif. She majored in English literature at Scripps and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1961. Moving back to the Bay area, she took a job at Hewlett-Packard in Palo Alto working with the company's clients in Latin America.
In spring of 1963, she married John M. (Jack) Burke, whom she had met when they were both students in Claremont. They settled in Santa Monica, Calif., but soon moved to Iguatu, Brazil, as part of the UCLA Brazil Project, which was funded by the Ford Foundation with the intention of establishing small industries to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
The Burke family lived in Connecticut and Illinois and eventually moved to Hudson in 1976. The Burkes lived at 172 Aurora St. (an 1850 Greek Revival house), and renovated and furnished it.
Mrs. Burke was active in the community, working for local nonprofits such as the Blossom Music Center.
She served on the Village of Hudson Council from 1989 to 1993. During her term in office she championed a tree ordinance and pushed for historic preservation, helping to ensure the survival of Hudson's antique street lamps and architectural features of the town hall during its renovation.
She was also a member of the Hudson Heritage Association, Hudson Architectural Board, Hudson Tennis Club and attended the First Congregational Church of Hudson.
She moved to Walnut Creek, Calif., in 2007 to be near her family.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Burke, who died in 1990 of prostate cancer. She is survived by her daughter, Elena Stephens; son-in-law, Michael Stephens; and grandchildren, Evan and Robbie.
A memorial gathering will take place Aug. 21 at 2:30 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 240 Tiburon Blvd. in Tiburon, Calif.
Memorial donations may be made to Hudson Heritage Association, P.O. Box 2218, Hudson, OH 44236, or National Audubon Society, 225 Varick Street, 7th Fl., New York, NY 10014.
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