Dona Burke

With great sadness we announce the passing of Dona Jean Burke (nee Klekota), 78, of White Plains, NY on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Dona was born in Lorain, Ohio to the late Josephine and Edward Klekota in 1946. The fifth of six daughters, she grew up in a loving, close-knit family, attending Lorain city schools and graduating from Admiral King High School in 1964. She earned her BS in Elementary Education from Kent State University in 1968 and taught in Lorain at Charleston Elementary and Jane Lindsay schools for three years before moving to White Plains, NY.

Dona worked part time at B. Altman and Company as a section manager for 16 years, substitute taught at The Presbyterian Church Nursery School and spent 18 years employed by The City of White Plains School System at George Washington School as a teaching assistant in the reading department.

Dona is preceded in death by her husband, Tom Burke and sisters Joyce Mason, Jackie Mantin and Marilyn Weems. She is survived by her sisters Joanne Kneisel and Janet Gillespie, her three children: Kristin Gooch (Blake), Lindsay Ostrom (Jon), Ryan Burke (Tiffany) and her four grandchildren that she adored: Molly, Reed, Riley, and Thomas.

Dona was an active member of the Women’s Club of White Plains, the Lakenridge Club and Winged Foot Golf Club. She enjoyed spending quality time with her many friends – whether hanging out at the lake, attending Broadway plays, walking the halls of The Westchester mall, or eating out at new restaurants and her favorite local spots.

Traveling was one of Dona’s passions. She loved planning and taking trips with friends and family. Highlights of her travels included trips to Europe with her sister Marilyn and adventures to Italy and the Holy Land with Father Sorgie’s group. Road trips around the country with her sisters and visiting her children and grandchildren were equally fun and rewarding. Dona’s adventurous side also led her to take up skiing and golf as an adult, though she seemed to enjoy the views from the slopes and fairways more than the actual sports.

But at the end of the day, Dona was all about spending time with her family – especially her grandkids. She doted on them and treated each one as special. She loved reading and cooking with them, taking them on trips and to shows, attending their special events, and hosting the most amazing family Christmases.

A mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10am on Friday, September 12, 2025, at St. Bernard’s Church, 51 Prospect St, White Plains. Burial and reception for friends and family will follow.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Multidisciplinary Care Center at Columbia University or Nativity BVM Church in Lorain, OH.