On Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, Carmen Melanie (Meg) Wells Burke, 82, was welcomed by Jesus into her heavenly home.
The funeral service will take place at the Burke family cemetery in Vaiden, Miss., at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9. Dr. Tracy Putnam will conduct the service.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons: Joseph Thomas, Jr., Campbell Putnam, Sharkey Burke III, Timothy Thomas, Stephen Thomas, Josiah Putnam, Samuel Thomas and Thaxton Burke.
Meg, as she was known to many, was the fourth of five children born to Otho Albert Wells and Carmen Davis Wells in Jackson, Miss. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Pat Sharkey Burke, Sr., her parents, and her brother, Otho (Sonny) Albert Wells, Jr. (Janie). She is survived by Preston Davis Wells (Gerri), James Gipson Wells (Mildred, deceased) and Mary Lu Cummings (Steve).
She graduated from Murrah High School in Jackson in 1960, and then earned a degree in biology from Millsaps College in 1963 before earning a Master’s degree in Botany at Vanderbilt in 1966.
After returning from Vanderbilt, Meg married Pat in 1966. The following year he enlisted in the United States Air Force and the young couple moved to San Antonio where he completed his medical internship and residency.
The Burke family, which had grown with the birth of Melanie and Sharkey, relocated back to the Mississippi Delta in 1973 to begin practicing medicine in Clarksdale. The same year, they welcomed their youngest child, Genie.
Meg genuinely loved Pat, with whom she had enjoyed 54 years of marriage, and their three children: Melanie and Joey Thomas and their children Elizabeth (Noah), Joseph, Timothy, Stephen, and Samuel; Sharkey and Paige Burke and their children Sharkey III, Lillian, Bradley, and Thaxton; Genie and Tracy Putnam and their children Campbell (Hannah), Addie Grace, Maegan, and Josiah.
Meg loved the Lord Jesus and faithfully walked with Him throughout her adult life. She was committed to service to Him through faithful church attendance as a Sunday school teacher for 40 years and to the choir by adding her beautiful soprano voice. The study and application of God’s word was vitally important to her in her commitment to private study and as the lead teacher for Community Bible Study in Clarksdale for 30 years. Her most comfortable place was in hospitality as she opened her home regularly to family, friends, and guests of all kinds with her delicious homemade meals and comfortable Southern setting. She will be remembered for her kindness, generosity and commitment to her Lord and family.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to either Samaritan’s Purse or Forgotten Children Ministries.
