Mrs. Angela Adelaide (Andrade) Burke

Angela Adelaide (Andrade) Burke
Bristol School Nurse/Practitioner, Lifelong Volunteer and Artist

Angela A. (Andrade) Burke, age 93, of The Willows Assisted Living in Warren passed away Monday, April 24, 2023 at HopeHealth Hospice after a brief illness. She was the loving wife of the late James E. (Jim) Burke. Jim initially won Angela over by sweeping the Sunset Bakery floor at the end of her shift while they were classmates at Colt Memorial High School, Class of 1947. They were married in 1952 and, for all practical purposes, were inseparable for fifty-eight years.
Born in Bristol (not in a hospital in Fall River or Providence) on September 9, 1929, Angela was the eldest of five children of the late John and Mary (Mello) Andrade. She enjoyed a wonderful childhood on Cooke St., where she and her siblings were “encouraged” to get along by John and Mary. The encouragement and the conducive living quarters resulted in exceptionally close bonds among the siblings, relationships that lasted throughout their lifetimes.
Upon graduation from high school, Angela worked for a year to establish her own tuition fund to attend The Rhode Island Hospital School of Nursing, graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1951. After she and Jim started a family, she worked part time as a private duty nurse and as a night shift nurse at the former Truesdale Hospital. When her youngest child reached school age she became a school nurse, a role she cherished. She was assigned to the schools surrounding the Town Common, at that time it included five schools: Reynolds, Oliver, Walley, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Mary’s. Angela employed her bilingual skills to ease the transition of elementary age children and their families from their former homes in the Azores to a new life in Bristol. Angela spent several summer vacation periods supporting special needs programs. To meet her professional development requirements Angela was awarded a BS and an MS in Education from Rhode Island College. She found time to advance her nursing designation to Nurse Practitioner and served a term as president of the Rhode Island School Nurses Association. Although not a professional or academic accomplishment but equally impressive, Angela took her lunch break almost every workday while visiting with her mother.
Angela and Jim retired in 1988 and relocated to Southwestern Florida. They returned to spend summers in Rhode Island and continued their participation in annual fundraising at the University of Rhode Island, Jim’s alma mater. When Jim received The Ram Award in 1996, Angela received an honorary degree from the University in recognition of her contribution and partnership with Jim. Angela served as Jim’s administrator when he founded the URI Gators, the URI alumni organization in southern Florida. Angela volunteered at the Port Charlotte Senior Center, the Desoto Hospital Gift Shop and was an annual bell ringer for the Salvation Army. She was president of the social club for residents without partners at her retirement complex, and leveraged her influence to ensure that opportunities to participate in ballroom dancing were available and frequent.
Also, upon her retirement, Angela began a second career as a talented and prolific watercolorist. Family and friends were the beneficiaries of her effort, and she attained the status of a commissioned artist during her years of painting.
Although she resided in Florida Angela always found a way to visit Rhode Island for high school and nursing school class reunions, grandchild graduations and for her favorite holiday, the 4th of July in Bristol.
Angela returned to spend time with her family in Rhode Island in 2018 and enjoyed an active and healthy lifestyle until her passing. If there was one thing that she expressed as a recent disappointment it would be that her Bingo record of success was not on par with her other accomplishments.
Survivors include: three children, Charles Allen Burke (Mari-Lynn Maurer) of Bristol, Christina Lachapelle {John} of Warren and John William Burke of Katy, Texas; four grandchildren, Cynthia Shannon (Jonathan), Stephanie Ler (Brandon), Nicole Pica {Aaron) and Nicholas Lachapelle; a brother, Dr. John R. Andrade (Paula) of Bristol; seven great grandchildren, twenty nieces and nephews and many cousins. In addition to her husband and parents she was predeceased by her siblings Gilbert Andrade (June), Elizabeth Usher (Richard), Mary Flack (Robert), a sister-in law Lorraine (Burke) Wilson and niece and godchild Gail (Wilson) Perry.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, July 6th at 11:00 AM at St. Mary’s Church in Bristol, Rhode Island with burial to follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday, July 5th 4:00-7:00 PM at the Sansone Funeral Home, 192 Wood Street, Bristol.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests that a donation to the East Bay Food Pantry, 532 Wood Street, Bristol or online at www.eastbayfoodpantry.org would be consistent with Angela’s desire to help others.
For online condolences, shared memories, information and directions go to www.sansonefuneralhome.com



 

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