Sharlyn Joleen Burke, devoted to family
Sharlyn "Shari" Joleen Burke, 58, peacefully passed away on the evening of Saturday, June 11, 2022, at her home surrounded by loved ones in Dagsboro. Shari spent almost a year battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
She was born Oct. 20, 1963, in Des Moines, Iowa, daughter of the late Frankie Heisler and Joyce Joleen Fleming Heisler. She grew up in Des Moines and attended the University of Iowa, where she graduated in 1987. In 1989, she moved to the East Coast, living in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Dagsboro starting in 1992. While in Philadelphia in 1990, she met her husband, Bill, and the two married in 1995. After splitting time between Pennsylvania and southern Delaware, they made the full-time move to Dagsboro in 1998 to raise their family and be by the beach and friends.
Shari was a beloved member of the community and would be recognized by those everywhere, from the boardwalk to the grocery store. She was heavily involved in her children’s lives. Shari would volunteer and attend all her kids' sporting or school events. She was their loudest cheerleader and comforting soul for everything.
Shari could be found at the beach, at the pool, on the porch with her closest friends, or on the couch with her beloved pets. An active walker, she would be seen walking her 10,000 steps with her dogs Basco or Remy every day. She was an avid sports fan, rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles and Iowa Hawkeyes. The weekend calendar was always cleared for her to cheer loud and proud on Saturday for the Hawkeyes and Sunday for the Eagles.
Shari was preceded in death by her father, Frank Heisler, Des Moines, Iowa; her grandparents, Homer and Ruth Fleming, Carthage, Ill.; and Ronald and Vera Heisler, Basco, Ill. She is survived by her husband of 27 years, Bill Burke; and children: Declan, McKenna and Keaton Burke; her mother, Joyce Heisler; her brother, Steve Heisler and his wife Sandy; her niece, Sarah Cowie, her husband Matt and their daughter Madison; her nephew, Matthew Heisler, all of Des Moines; her in-laws, (Burkes) Cathleen of Fenwick Island, Geri and Dan; and nephew Nick of Tampa, Fla., Chris and Michelle; niece Emily and nephew Ryan of Stewart Manor, N.Y.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m., Wednesday, June 22, at Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 34874 Atlantic Ave., Ocean View, where friends may visit beginning at 2 p.m. Per Shari's request, those attending the services are asked to please wear bright, happy colors to honor her memory.
Visit Shari’s Life Memorial webpage and sign her virtual guestbook at parsellfuneralhomes.com.
