Ann Burke with former student Nigel Stroud in 2011.
Ann Burke dedicated more than four decades to teaching fifth and sixth graders at Lake Highlands Elementary. On November 17, she died in McKinney, surrounded by family.
Marguerite Ann Isdale was born to Marguerite and Ira in 1946 in Greenville, Texas, quickly followed by sisters Jane and Mary. The family moved several times during her childhood, but she never begrudged being “the new kid” according to daughter, Robin Diffee. The bubbly extrovert simply added new friends to her collection.
The Isdales eventually settled on Larchwood Drive in Lake Highlands, and Ann joined the Class of 1964 — the first group to graduate from Lake Highlands High School, which held classes in those days at the Lake Highlands Junior-Senior High building on Kingsley Road. Ann danced as a Highlandette and was a member of the Future Homemakers of America. Lake Highlands Advocate featured Ann and a few of her former classmates in a 2002 article as they recalled their idyllic days growing up in an atmosphere they compared to Beaver Cleaver’s.
“We were so sheltered,” Ann said of attending a brand-new school with no upperclassmen to taunt and tempt them. “Thinking back on what my kids went through with older influences, good or bad, we had none of that.”
When classes began in 1960, the new junior-senior high was a far cry from the Lake Highlands Middle School of today. There was no cafeteria, no air conditioning, and the students worked in unison to select school colors and write an alma mater.
“We were a small community kind of away from others,” said Ann. “We were just together.”
Ann studied at North Texas State University and became an active member of Delta Gamma sorority. She married Stoney Burke and had four daughters — Robin Joekel Diffee, Amy Joekel Smith, Susan Joekel and Jamie Burke. All are graduates of LHHS.
“Family and community were central to Ann’s world. She never met a stranger,” Robin wrote in her mom’s obituary. “She cherished cooking, hosting family gatherings, and decorating her home with festive spirit for every holiday. Her joy was further enhanced by moments shared at the beach with best friends and shopping trips to Home Goods with her daughters, activities that inspired countless treasured memories. Ann was the most avid of readers, historical fiction her favorite genre.”
Over the decades, her daughters say they never minded sharing her with hundreds of adoring students, who praised her as their favorite all-time teacher. High school seniors and college graduates returned often to take photos and reminisce with their beloved mentor.
“Her years in the classroom at LHE were marked by an unwavering commitment to education and a genuine love for her students,” wrote Robin. “Ann also created lasting impressions on her colleagues, whom she held deeply within her heart. She extended her kindness far and wide, ensuring that every child she encountered felt seen and cared for, embodying her generous spirit in both big gestures and small acts of kindness.”
Ann will be remembered during a Celebration of Life Service at 2 p.m. on January 14, 2025. at First United Methodist Church, 503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson, Texas, 75080. All are welcome.
Ann Burke with daughter, Robin Diffee
