Skip to main content

John George Burkle Jr.

Thu, 03/09/2023 - 09:35

July 25, 1949 - Feb. 5, 2023

John George Burkle Jr. “was passionate about photography, music, fishing, airplanes, his Lionel trains, gardening, his granddaughters, and dogs,” his family wrote. Family was paramount to him, and his “sentimental values . . . helped shape the paths his children took.”

His youngest son, Justin Burkle, shared his passion for photography and is pursuing it as a career, while his tenure at TWA “exposed his eldest son, Jonathan, to aviation, which led to a career as a commercial airline pilot.”

Mr. Burkle, who was 73, died of heart failure on Feb. 5 at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. He had been living on Woodbine Drive in Springs since 2015.

He was born on July 25, 1949, in Beverly, Mass., while his parents, John George Burkle and the former Claire Widmaier, were on vacation there. He grew up in Park Forest, Ill., and Dix Hills, and graduated from Bowling Green University in Ohio. Mr. Burkle served in the Army from 1972 to 1976.

On May 29, 1976, he married Gail Grimm, and the two settled in Levittown. He worked as a TWA air freight supervisor at Kennedy Airport. The couple lived in Levittown until 2006, then in Cave Creek, Ariz., for nine years.

His wife survives, as do his children, Jonathan Burkle of Denver and Justin Burkle of Montauk, and his grandchildren, Sage and Heidi. He also leaves three siblings, Carol Offutt of Maryland, Jan Peltz of Vermont, and Randee Burkle of Washington State.

Mr. Burkle was cremated. A celebration of his life will be held in the spring.

Villages

The Stuff of Dreams at the Surf Lodge

To book a beach table this Saturday, during Labor Day weekend, groups must spend a minimum of $5,000. A table on the deck this weekend costs a minimum of $10,000. Along with good music, a great view, and a beautiful crowd, that might be part of the appeal.

Aug 28, 2025

Another Iconic House at Risk of Demolition

Julian and Barbara Neski’s 1964 Chalif House on Terbell Lane in East Hampton has recently come on the market for $11 million-plus. The house is historically important, but given the times, the value of a one-acre plot, and its location in the village’s estate section, it’s likely to be torn down.

Aug 28, 2025

Folk Art Stair Runner Installed at Village Hall

Two of Edith Parsons’s midcentury hooked rugs, one depicting scenes of East Hampton and another showing a map of Long Island, can now be seen at Village Hall and Home, Sweet Home, following her daughter’s donation.

Aug 28, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.