Kyle Gibson

 

Kyle Marie Gibson passed away October 24. She was 42.

 

A native of Rye, she was born July 27, 1969 at St. Luke’s Woman’s Hospital in New York City to G. Darcy and Barbara Gibson.

She attended Rye High School then Miss Hall’s School from which she graduated in 1988. She later attended Roger Williams College and SUNY Purchase, where she pursued her love of art.

 

Beloved by all who knew her, Kyle’s gentle spirit, quick smile, and infectious laugh will never be forgotten, said her family.

 

She is survived by her parents; three brothers: Scott and his wife Shannon, of Montclair, N.J., Mark and his wife Aija, of Kent, Conn., and Bryan and his wife Pamela of Salt Lake City; and six nieces and one nephew.

 

A mass of Christian Burial was celebrated October 28 at the Church of the Resurrection.

 

Donations may be made in Kyle Gibson’s name to St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison.

 

 

John Quirk

 

John Quirk, a Rye resident for three decades, died October 24 at the age of 72.

 

Born in Baltimore, December 7, 1938, he was the eldest of three brothers. After studying chemistry at Johns Hopkins University and receiving a Master’s degree in philosophy at St. Michael’s College, he went on become a successful human resources executive.

 

A beloved father, grandfather, father-in-law, and friend, he will be remembered as a gentle, thoughtful, and exceptionally kind man with an impressive and eclectic range of interests. Mr. Quirk was an avid skier, photographer, voracious reader, lover of fine food, and a student of various world cultures and religions.

 

His primary passion, though, was his family. He is survived by daughters Lisa Weinman of Rye and Maria Weiksner of Old Greenwich; sons-in-law Sam Weinman and G. Michael Weiksner; six grandchildren: Anna, Charlie, George, Will, Luke, and Kaki; two brothers: Tom Quirk (wife Janet and daughters Meghan and, Caitlin) of Baltimore, and Bob Quirk (wife Susan) of Cincinnati; and his former wife, Wendy Seaver of Rye.

 

Mr. Quirk’s life was celebrated October 28 at the Church of the Resurrection in Rye, where his family recalled his tremendous generosity, great humor, and endless fascination with the world around him.

 

 

Daniel B. Burke

 

Daniel Barnett Burke died peacefully at his home in Rye on October 26, 2011 of complications from type 1 diabetes. He was 82 years old.

 

Born in Albany, New York, February 4, 1929, the son of Mary Barnett Burke and James Francis Burke, he was the third in a family of four children.

 

His father worked for New York Life Insurance and he spent his early years growing up in small towns like Slingerlands, New York and Dorset, Vermont.

 

After graduating from the University of Vermont in 1950, he joined the United States Army and served eight months in Korea as a First Lieutenant and Mortar Platoon Leader, leaving the service in January 1953 with commendations for meritorious service. That fall, he enrolled in Harvard Business School, from which he graduated in 1955, and with his MBA degree, accepted a brand management position with General Foods Corporation.

 

In 1961 he was recruited by Tom Murphy of Capital Cities Broadcasting to leave General Foods and run the company’s television station in Albany. This risky career move began a relationship between Murphy and Burke that would last more than 30 years, a time during which Capital Cities grew from a small station manager (the name derived from their ownership of two television outlets – one in Albany, the other in Raleigh, N.C.) to one of the largest and most respected media companies in the world.

 

After serving as the station manager in Albany, Burke moved to Detroit, where he oversaw the operations of WJR, one of the most popular radio stations in the country. From there, he moved to Capital Cities’ corporate headquarters in New York.

 

Mr. Burke helped manage the growing business through the acquisition of such properties as The Kansas City Star and Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspapers, television and radio stations in Philadelphia, Fresno, New Haven, and Buffalo, as well as Fairchild Publications.

 

As the company grew, so did the reputation of the Tom Murphy/Dan Burke management team. Legendary investor and Capital Cities board member Warren Buffett said that having Murphy and Burke at the same company was “like having Ruth and Gehrig in the same lineup.”

 

In 1985, Buffett’s confidence in this team led him to provide much of the needed capital to finance what was then the largest non-oil company merger in corporate history: Capital Cities Communications’ $3.5 billion purchase of ABC. After successfully integrating these two companies, Burke was elevated to CEO of Capital Cities/ABC, Inc. a position he held until his retirement – on his 65th birthday – in 1994.

 

Knowing that he would leave the company when he turned 65, Burke spent part of his free time in the years prior working to bring minor league baseball to his beloved state of Maine. From the time he was in graduate school, he had spent every summer in Kennebunk Beach, and as a lifelong baseball fan, he hoped to create or move a franchise to Portland.

 

This work paid off when Major League Baseball added new franchises in Florida and Colorado, and Burke – working closely with Portland city officials – was able to establish the Marlins’ AA affiliate Portland Sea Dogs, who hosted their first home game just two months after Mr. Burke’s retirement. The Sea Dogs became the Red Sox affiliate in 2003 and won their first Eastern League championship in 2006.

 

Mr. Burke served on a number of boards including The Washington Post, Morgan Stanley, Consolidated Rail, and Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

A passionate advocate for the advancement of minorities in the media business, Mr. Burke helped establish the Foundation for Minority Interests in Media and in 1984 received the Ida B. Wells Award.

 

Mr. Burke enjoyed playing golf and tennis, and while rarely one of the better players in the foursome, he was a fierce competitor who was always quick with a joke or a jibe.

 

He is survived by Harriet “Bunny” Burke, his wife of 54 years; four children: Steve Burke of Philadelphia, Frank Burke of Chattanooga, Tenn., Sally McNamara of Wellesley, Mass., and Bill Burke of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; and 14 grandchildren.

 

A funeral service was held at St. Martha Church in Kennebunk, Maine November 1.

 

Donations may be made in his memory to Maine Medical Center, The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, or the Naomie Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University Medical Center.