Madonna M. Burch

Madonna M. Burch

Madonna M. Burch, 79 of Ocean Pines, MD, passed away on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

Donna was born April 15, 1938, at home, in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Florence Carpenter and Clayton “Scotty” Diemert.

She grew up in Sanborn, ND, attending St. Catherine’s High School and Valley City State College in Valley City, ND. After college, she moved to Stewart Air Force Base, NY to be near her brother Laurence and his family. It was there she met and married Gerald Joseph Burch on June 20, 1959.

Donna and Jerry lived an adventurous life filled with many moves and raising a family of four children: Eric, Kathleen, Patricia, and Elizabeth. Jerry’s job as a chemical engineer with Allied Chemical took them to many exotic locales such as St. Albans, WV, Williamsville, NY, Glen Burnie, MD, and Wilmington, DE. They retired to the “beach life” in Ocean Pines, MD.

Throughout her adventures, Donna dedicated her life to the care of her family and in service to others through her volunteer work, including: Welcome Wagon, every school her children attended, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and as an Eucharistic Minister with the Church for over 20 years. She also worked in Volunteer Services at Atlantic General Hospital for over 10 years. Her favorite activities included bowling and square dancing with the Pine Steppers. She will be best remembered for her lifetime joy of playing in bridge leagues.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jerry, her brother Laurence, and her nephews Robin and Richard Diemert.

She is survived by her much-loved sister Vicki Richie and husband Roy, of Jefferson, TX; and her close relatives, Annette Flaherty of Mullica Hill, NJ and Dorothy Klein of Valley City, ND. She also leaves behind her children and their spouses; Arlyn Sanchez, Bert Robbins, John Keefe, and Mark Fish; 9 grandchildren: Tristan, Zachary, Alexandra, Charlotte, Miranda, Isabelle, Nolan, Nathan, and Luke; as well as dozens of much loved in-laws and nieces and nephews. She would want them to know she has talked and thought of them often in the reminiscing memories we have lately shared.

Relatives and friends are invited to her visitation on Friday, August 11, 2017 from 6-8pm at the East Meeting Room of the Ocean Pines Community Center, 235 Ocean Parkway, Ocean Pines, MD 21811.

Her Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, August 12, 2017 at 10:00am at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11211 Beauchamp Rd., Berlin, MD 21811.

Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Charities USA, P.O. Box 17066, Baltimore, MD  21297-1066; or St. John Neumann Catholic Church, at the above address.

Arrangements by DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, Inc. 610-696-1181, www.DellaFh.com

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