Kathryn J. Burek

Kathryn J. Burek, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend , New Englander, talker, singer, champion gift-giver and card-giver (underlining nearly every word within for emphasis), spoiler of grandchildren, dancer, reader, touch-talker, sun-worshipper, beach bum, fast walker, good listener and holder of hands, card player, loud and eager laugher, wearer of the dangly earrings, lifetime member of the perpetually cold, dresser in bright colors, party-goer, lover of life and children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and ice cream and waiters and a good joke (and some bad ones), proud patron of the North Shore Music Theatre, sincere people person and all-around good sport passed away on May 26, 2023, of Alzheimer’s.

Born in Ipswich, MA, February 15, 1945, to William and Dorothy (Dot) Burek (Gross), she attended local schools, and married Dale Brasseur in December 1962, moving closer to his family in Indian River, Michigan shortly thereafter to begin raising children Denise and Dale Jr., before moving the family back to New England, living at various times in Rowley, Newburyport, Lawrence, and Amesbury. While living locally, she waitressed at various noteworthy area restaurants, including Webster’s Ice Cream, The Sea Wolf, Sailor Bill’s, and the Captain’s Quarters, before working at Holy Family Hospital, in HR, as well as the breast care and spiritual care centers, making fast friends with co-workers and clients alike wherever she went. The common factor in all these jobs being people – she was above all, a renowned people person. She not only possessed the gift of gab but shared that gift with any and all, as one does with a gift.

She spent part of her retirement years among friends in Florida, before moving back home once again, to be nearer to family, attending school functions, enjoying holidays through decoration and dress and celebration while sharing her love of life, people, and family, never once forgetting to look those she loved directly in the eye and tell them how very much she cherished them and their time together.

She leaves behind to miss her, children Denise Kligerman (Greg), and Dale Brasseur, Jr. (Lori), sisters Nancy Dillard (Glen), Janet Burek-Neff (Chris), and Barb Saunders (Joe), grandchildren Kevin Brasseur, Keith Brasseur, Samantha Wolf, Noah Kligerman, and Autumn Kligerman, as well as 5 great- grandchildren, various cousins, nieces and nephews, and former husband Dale Brasseur. She was predeceased by parents William and Dorothy Burek, brothers William (Bill), Jr., and Alan, Uncle Malcolm “Mickey” Gross and wife Ethel Gross (Leavitt).

Calling hours will be Friday, June 2, 2023, from 5-8 p.m., at F. S. Roberts & Son Funeral Home, 14 Independent Street, Rowley, MA. Funeral Service will be on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., with burial immediately following at Rowley Burial Ground. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mary Immaculate Residents Council Fund, 172 Lawrence St, Lawrence, MA, 01841. To light a memorial candle or to leave a message of condolence, please visit www.fsrobertsandson.com.

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