Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Rest in Peace, Brendan Burke

Funeral Mass held for son of Maple Leaf GM [Yahoo News]

CANTON, Mass. (AP)—Brendan Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke and an advocate for gay rights, has been remembered at a funeral Mass.


The Mass at St. John The Evangelist Catholic church in Canton, Mass., on Tuesday came four days after Burke died in a car accident on a snowy Indiana road.

The funeral was attended by Maple Leafs players and staff, as well as players and coaches of the Miami University of Ohio hockey team, where the 21-year-old Burke was the team’s student manager.

Burial was private.

Burke lived in Canton and graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School.


He was in the news last year when ESPN.com ran a story about his decision to tell his father he was gay. Brian Burke said it didn’t change how he thought of his son.

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Only the heartless could fail to empathize with the Burke family over their loss. The above article refers to a story in ESPN.com about Brendan telling his father he was gay. The article was by John Buccigross and the link is here. It is well worth reading.

Despite Brian Burke's tough outside, he is a father that loved his son, no matter what.

"Imagine if I was in the opposite situation, with a family that wouldn't accept me, working for a sports team where I knew I couldn't come out because I'd be fired or ostracized. People in that situation deserve to know that they can feel safe, that sports isn't all homophobic and that there are plenty of people in sports who accept people for who they are." -- Brendan Burke

The world appears to be a bit gloomier without Brendan's presence. May the love, support, devotion and tolerance that is apparent in the Burke family and his former teammates become a model for all of us. May the Burke family and everyone touched by Brendan's life find solace in celebrating his life and memory.

--- The Graying Mantis



2 comments:

  1. This is simply tragic. I cannot imagine. Thank you Graying Mantis for sharing this.

    Sincerely,
    tdr

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete

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