JANE KATHRYN KERNER
Bertha and Jack Kerner brought Jane Kathryn Kerner into the world on the first day of
1933 in Erie, Pennsylvania. She grew up on Cochran Street and loved every minute she was
there. One of the highlights of her life was at the age of 9 when her baby brother Bob was
born. She often said that she felt like he was her live baby doll. She
used to ice skate on Lake Erie and to have picnics at the beach and
especially loved spending time on Presque Isle swimming in Lake
Erie with her brothers Jack and Bob, her Auntie Helen and mom
and dad. She also especially spoke fondly of spending cool summer
evenings under the grape arbor in their back yard on their classic
glider. She attended Elementary, Middle, and High School at Villa
Maria Academy in downtown Erie from which she graduated with
honors.
After meeting and marrying
her children’s father Thomas
Burick they moved to Notre
Dame campus for Tom
to finish his engineering
degree. She has fond memories of living on the Notre
Dame Campus, so much so she will actually watch the
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football games even though
she does not like the sport just to get glimpses of the
campus. Upon graduation they moved whenever necessary to allow Tom to succeed in his
engineering career. In the late 1960s they settled in a nice suburban home in Warminster,
Pennsylvania where they treated their seven children by installing a very large backyard pool.
Later Jane moved to Laurel and has lived there since about 1974 where she proudly displays
photographs of her 21 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
She loved to exercise and live a healthy life. For many years while living in Laurel, she
would go to a pool to get her exercise. Her love of music always inspired her to celebrate
anniversaries and birthdays by calling and singing to her family members. Her son Timothy
is the oldest, then came Brian, her only daughter Amy, then Gregory, Andrew, Peter and
finally Tommy all of whom she loved dearly. Often she would go to the Christian Book store
just to play their piano all the while dreaming about having her own. One year she received
the surprise of her life when her son Andrew arranged to have a baby grand piano delivered
to her house while she was out.