Marguerite Bourke

NAME/ AGE Marguerite "Peggy" Bourke, age 87, of Lombard, passed away Saturday, August 28, 2004 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, IL. BORN She was born November 14, 1916 the daughter of Marius and Meta (Jensen) Miller in Chicago, IL. CHILDHOOD Peggy grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and attended Austin High School. Following her schooling she worked for the Spiral Binding Company, where she met her future husband, Edward Bourke.MARRIED Following a long courtship, Edward Bourke and Marguerite Miller escaped to Valparaiso, IN where they were united in marriage on June 21, 1937. They made their home in Chicago for a time before moving to New York. Returning to the Chicago area in 1941, they settled on Irving Park road. Shortly thereafter, the war broke out and Ed enlisted in the United States Navy. Following the war, he returned to civilian life with Peggy and they made their home on Chicago’s northwest side unitl 1952 when they moved to Lombard, IL. Peggy was employed at Western Electric for over forty years and was a member of the Pioneer Telecommunications Workers of America. Following her retirement, they moved to the Elburn area to join their dear friends, Phyllis and Robert Elliot. Looking back, the Elburn years were the best years of Peggy’s life. Those were the years when she could love life, nature and all God’s creation, with an unbridaled heart. Many knew Peggy as the "Good Samaritan" to countless animals, especially cats and horses. If they could but speak, they would thank God for the day their path’s crossed hers. It mattered not their history, she took them all into her heart and home. She nursed them back to health, paid for their medicine and provided "room and board" and love for the rest of their natural lives. Peggy was strong willed an focused about her "mission" for animals but she was also remarkably multi-faceted. She had an eye for photography that seemed to focus the feeling as well as the composition of a photograph. Athletic and competitive, she loved tennis, began running marathons in her sixties and enjoyed playing golf as well as horseback riding or matching wits with a crossword puzzle. Her reflective side enjoyed theater and an opera with her sister Eileen. A "feminist" ahead of her time, Peggy was fiercely independent and possessed a dry wit that could sneak by the most observant friend. Then again, she made a bold statement when she hit the road in her Ford Mustang classic. Always kept in pristine condition, that car was her personal escort on solo road trips from coast to coast. Peggy not only lived life to the fullest, she gave life to the fullest to every "four-footed misfortunate" she ever met. Although she never had any children, she adopted the animals of the world as her own. SURVIVORSShe is survived by one sisterEileen Lykes, Colorado Springs, COfour niecesJudy (Al) Sevcik of DesPlaines, ILSue Foley of DesPlaines, ILPam (Dan) O’Malley of Apache Junction, AZMarguerite Lykes (Pete) Richards of Colorado Springs, CO three nephewsCharles Lykes Jr., Clear Water FloridaRichard and Mark Miller of Jacksonville, FLOne sister-in-law Marie Delaney of Des Plaines, ILPRECEDEDShe is preceded in death by her parents, Meta and Marius Miller; Her husband, Edward M. BourkeTwo brothers: Gordon and Wesley Miller. MEMORIALSA memorial has been established in the name of Marguerite "Peggy" Bourke to benefit societies dedicated to the well being of animals everywhere. Donations may be made to the Marguerite "Peggy" Bourke Memorial and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, IL, 60119

Tentative date for a memorial service is Sept. 13,2004 please call the funeral home or check the website for times.