Lucy S. (Sesto) Burke

Lucy (Sesto) Burke, 89, of Portland, passed away on November 17, 2023 at Gosnell House surrounded by her family. She was born on October 21, 1934 in Portland to Thomas and Maria (Poli) Sesto and was one of nine children all of whom were lifelong friends. Lucy attended Cathedral High School and was a proud graduate of the Class of 1952. In 1956, Lucy married William L. Burke, Jr. They went on to have six children raising them in their home on Rowe Avenue. Shortly after giving birth to her youngest of six children, Lucy lost her husband to cancer leaving her to raise her children with the love and support of her extended family.

Lucy was an active parishioner of St. Peter’s Catholic Church and was a member of the Sacred Heart Sodality and the RCIA Program. Once her children were out of the house, Lucy worked in the school lunch program for Portland Public Schools. She prided herself in her work as a lunch lady not only because she loved feeding people but for the relationships she fostered with the students and faculty. Lucy was honored for her dedication in 2003 when the Deering High School yearbook was dedicated to her.

Lucy was a kind, caring, and loving woman. To know her was to be her friend. If you had one conversation with Lucy, she knew all about your family, friends, hopes, and dreams. To her dying day, Lucy could list, with great pride, the comings and goings and recent events taking place in the lives of her siblings, children, grandchildren, and extended family. When visiting her in the hospital, she would ask for a recap of what was “in the paper” which of course led to a summary of headlines from the Portland Press Herald complete with a list of those who appeared in the obituaries.

Lucy is predeceased by her brothers, Pat Sesto, Tony Sesto, Frank Sesto, Fr. Gennaro Sesto and her sister Mary Ferrucci. She is survived by her sisters, Ann Gribbin and her husband Peter, Ginny LaCroix and her husband Doug, and her brother Thomas Sesto and his wife Angie. Lucy is also survived by her children Annie and Tom Allen of Scarborough, Kathy and Brian Leighton of Cumberland, Bill and Rachel Burke of Westbrook, John Burke of Jupiter, Florida, Teresa and Mike McCarney of South Burlington, Vermont, and Elizabeth Burke of Del Mar, California. Lucy adored her nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren and treasured her many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated 10 AM Saturday November 25, 2023 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 72 Federal Street in Portland. Visitation will be 4-7 PM on Friday November 24, 2023 at A.T. Hutchins Funeral Home, 660 Brighton Avenue, Portland. Burial will be Private in Calvary Cemetery.

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