Joseph Edward Burks

Joseph Edward Burks, Jr. born May 24, 1928 passed away on January 9, 2014. He was preceded in death by his wife,Jenny Burks; parents, Joseph Burks Sr., Lillian Mary Baker Burks; sisters, Juanita Burks, Dorothy Norman, Mildred Sinclair; brother, Lee Burks Joseph is survived by his children,Barbara & husband Fred Bradish, Dwayne & wife Martha Burks; grandchildren,Mike & wife Diana Bradish, Joe & wife Codi Bradish, Robby Bradish, Matt Bradish, Sabrina & husband Alberto Ortiz, Valerie & husband Alvin Elliott, Shane & wife Sherri Burks; great grandchildren, Malachi and wife Hillary, Nehemiah, Hannah, Andrew, Ryder, Nicolas, Oscar, Andrew, Adam, Anthony, Bryce, Peyton, Talin, Macie, Paige, and Noah; great great grandchild, Martiza. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Jan Burks. He worked as a Machinist in the Navy, Switchman for the Railroad, Traffic Manager at Titche's, Loan Office Manager and "worked" at his brother Lee's car lot answering phones, and always, always tried to figure out a way to "make a few dollars".He was also a 32nd Degree Mason. Joe also celebrated 40 years of sobriety in AA, receiving his 40 year medallion before he entered the nursing home last year. Hi, I’m Martha Ann – Joe’s daughter-in-law…you’re maybe asking yourself, “why is she speaking for the family – Well my brother-in-law Fred and I have had a front row seat for “This Joe Burks Extravaganza” for 40 to 50 years. We didn’t always agree with Joe about everything – like Fred’s Pittsburgh Steeler or my views that men & women could both do housework.We didn’t always agree if we even liked each other.But through it all – we always loved each other. Joe made peace with a lot of people including Fred and me.The last thing he told me at the nursing home was “Martha Baby, I love you – you’re tops in my book.And no one including you Dwayne better ever say anything bad about her in front of me – cause I love you Martha Baby…I just have to say aint dementia great. So here it is The Unofficial and Incomplete Story of Joseph Edward Burks, Jr… Joe was born in Harlingen Texas on May 24, 1928.His parents were Lillian Mary Baker and Joseph Burks Sr.He had three sisters, Juanita, Mildred and Dorothy and a brother Lee.The family move back to Dallas and not long after that their Mom, Lillian died.Lee and Joe were placed in a Catholic Orphanage at about 6 or 7 years old.Joe being the oldest by about 18 months assumed he had to “look after” Lee…a pattern he continued “assuming” forever. Any one that visited at the nursing home knew that Lee was there with him, even though he died in 2002.Joe would ask “where is Lee, I told him not to leave the room, they don’t like people to cause trouble here, and Lee is always up to something.” As soon as he could, Joe joined the Navy and was stationed in Vallejo, California, where he met “the most beautiful girl in the world,” Jenny.She was a waitress, he kept coming in to see her, until she agreed to go out with him.They dated until Joe shipped out to Hawaii.He kept trying to figure how to get back to her.One day they asked for volunteers to go back stateside for schooling and he asked where.When they told him Vallejo, he jumped at the chance.Jenny told the story that he walked back in that caf and she said “Well, look what the wind blew in, if it isn’t Joe Burks, what are you doing back here” and he said “I came back for you”. In the late forties, Joe, Jenny, Barbara and Dwayne came back to Dallas.They moved in with Joe’s dad and stepmom just for a short time until they could get on their feet, but stayed for years.Joe’s Stepmom and Dad took in foster children, as many as 10 or 12 at a time and everyone called them Mom and Dad, including the grand children Barbara and Dwayne.There is a life time of stories about their time at “Mom and Dad’s” house.But there is one I really like about when times were tough and they had to share one set of license plates for 2 cars.Joe took the one off the front of Jenny’s car and put it on the back of his car.Jenny got stopped by the police and she told him she didn’t what happened to the plate, maybe it just fell off.He said well maybe, but yesterday I stopped your husband in another car with the same license plate and the same story. Joe lost his sight at age 34.It was always assumed by the family it was because he was on one of the ships that witnessed the Atomic Bomb testing on the Bikini Islands.Being blind did not slow Joe down.He was an excellent carpenter when he was sighted.After going blind he supervised Jenny, Barbara and Dwayne in many building projects.He always said “supervision is 90% of any job and I’m always the supervisor.”Let’s just clarify one thing, Joe was not politically correct, he always referred to himself as being blind, not vision impaired.He’d say “I can’t see at all, I’m blind, hell if I was vision impaired, I could do anything.”Jenny had a little difficulty with his blindness…she kept forgetting he couldn’t see.At least that is what she would say when she walked him into walls, doors, trash cans and even once into a swimming pool.The grandchildren all played “hide n seek” with him when they were little, they never could figure out how he found them, he told me “well I might be blind, but I can hear them giggling.”And they all use to say “Papa is blind, but Mama can’t see”. Joe worked multiple jobs, he was a machinist in the Navy, a switchman on the Railroad, traffic manager at Titches, ran Loan Offices, he “worked” at Lee’s car lot answering phones until he thought Lee should actually work too, plus he had numerous other odd jobs.He was always trying to figure out a way to “make a few dollars” including flipping houses or buying into hair salons. His most important job was AA.Not long before he went into the nursing home he celebrated his 40th year of sobriety, he received the most beautiful cobalt blue and gold chip.He earned every day of his sobriety, and worked the program every day.He was always helping someone.He was known far and wide in AA as Blind Joe.He spoke at numerous regional and national AA conferences.Joe was a talented speaker and had a wonderful story to share.He was always helping someone.He was quick with a word of advice, a hand stretched out, or a joke.He touched many lives and he cared deeply for his AA community.Sometimes his family felt he cared more for AA than them, but Joe said without AA he would not have had a family. Joe was also a Master Mason in good standing the A. E. Hope Lodge in Balch Springs, and the Seogoville Lodge and a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason. Now don’t get me wrong, Joe wasn’t a saint, he could be the most frustrating man in the world.But he was quick with a silly joke and a “clap” to let you know when you got to the punch line.Sometimes the phone would drive you crazy.He had an elaborate tape recording and phone system and he could never let the answering machine get the call.The story goes that if “Jesus Christ was sitting there talking to him and the phone rang, he would say wait a minute Jesus, I got to answer this call.”And call waiting was amazingly annoying…he would be in the middle of one phone call and say “just a minute, let me see who this is, then he would comeback, if he cameback, and say, look this is Bunky calling long distance from Ft. Worth, can I call you right back,” which might be in a couple of minutes, a couple of hours, a couple of days or a couple of weeks.But he always called back.He also thought he could transcend time and space, if he had to be across town at 6:00, he thought he could talk on the phone until 6, get a shower and get across town without any time elapsing.You know it’s true.The phone was his lifeline, and he answered it all the time, in the middle of dinner, any dinner, Thanksgiving or Christmas, because it might be someone needing his help or just needing to shoot the breeze. Oh, by the way, Joe, I put a phone in the there with you, just in case… And please don’t get me started on the reading the mail – I know some of you have helped him – as he’s holding the envelopes and passing them over to you…“What’s this?What’s this?” But shopping was a real experience.When Dwayne & I first got married, I use to take Joe shopping for Jenny’s Christmas presents.Well one especially frustrating day I asked him “Pop have you ever laid down on a waterbed” he said “no”, I said “well here’s the store right here, let’s go try one out”….So he laid down and then “Martha get me off this damn thing right now, what the hell were you thinking” as he’s sloshing around trying to get off, and I’m trying not to laugh, I realize I’m not annoyed anymore. Joe and Jenny had been married for 48 years when she died in 1996.Joe is survived by two wonderful children Barbara and Dwayne; son-in-law Fred and daughter-in-law me, Martha; seven grandchildren, Mike, Valerie, Joe, Robby, Sabrina, Shane and Matt; grand children in laws Diana, Alvin, Codie, Alberto and Sherri; fifteen great grandchildren Malachi, Nehemiah, Hannah, Ryder, Nicolas, Oscar, Andrew, Adam, Anthony, Bryce, Peyton, Talin, Macie, Paige, and Noah and one great-great grandchild Martiza; and his wonderful, sainted sister-in-law Jan Burks, and numerous nieces and nephews. Dwayne and Barbara did a great job taking care of him, ensuring the very best for him.They had to make some hard decisions, but they were always done with love, to make sure he was well cared for and safe.Joe talked to Dwayne and Barbara before he went to the nursing home about how he knew he needed to be there and he was glad to have them help in making that decision. Joe had a life well lived and well loved.He leaves a lasting legacy. Everyone that knew him has a great “Joe” story.Like the one about Val’s PaPa York taking him fishing and leaving him alone on the dock with a deaf mute fisherman or Shane’s endless summer of Papa supervising him fixing soaker hoses and broken faucets, the list goes on and on and on. But let’s save those for another day. He was a truly special person and the world is a little more gray today because he is gone.But all the glorious lights of heaven are now available for him to see and he is in heaven, finally able to see again “the most beautiful girl in the world, his Jenny”.