Mrs. Buerke’s career reflected her love for travel and seeing new things. She first came to Washington, D.C. in 1941 to work for the War Department as a secretary.
After World War II, she worked as a secretary for the American Red Cross for four years and was stationed in New Guinea, the Phillippines, Japan, and Germany. After that, she worked for the U.S. Displaced Persons Commission and was stationed in Heidelberg and Frankfurt, Germany, for two years.
After she returned to the U.S., she had several other jobs as a secretary in New York City and Peoria, IL before returning to Washington for a 21-year career with the Department of Commerce. She worked her way up from a staff assistant to the chief of the correspondence and research branch. She retired in 1981.
After retiring, Mrs. Buerke’s interests continued to reflect her love of travel. She worked as a volunteer at National Airport with Travelers’ Aid. She continued traveling herself, going all over the world. Her travels also reflected her other interests, hiking and bird watching.
There are no immediate survivors.