Stacey Keene Burke was born on April 15, 1947, to Granville and Blossom Burke in Grand Junction, Colorado. Stacey and his older brother Gary grew up and attended school in Grand Junction. Throughout his school years, Stacey was involved in sports. Wrestling was his favorite as he participated in junior high, high school, and college teams. His love for the sport of wrestling continued throughout his life. After graduating from Grand Junction High School in 1965, Stacey attended Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado, where he earned a degree in Education. Stacey began his teaching career at Grand Junction Junior High, and later went to Franklin, Nebraska, where he taught History and, of course, coached Wrestling. Stacey loved teaching and coaching. During his career, Stacey led his teams to four State Championships in Nebraska and two runner-up finishes. He also celebrated with 22 wrestlers who achieved the Individual State Championships. In 2014, Stacey was inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to Nebraska Wrestling. Teaching and Coaching led Stacey to Palisade High School, where he taught and coached till his retirement. A proud parent and coach, he saw his son, Dan, achieve 3 State Individual Championships for Palisade High School.
Stacey married Claudia Ann Pembridge in 1973. They had two wonderful sons, Daniel and Jonathan. Claudia and Stacey spent 51 happy years together and welcomed five grandchildren to their family: Mason, Rya, Natalie, Titan, and Briar. Many thanks to all of Stacey’s friends, former colleagues, and students who have reached out to Claudia, Dan, and Jon, remembering the many ways Stacey touched their lives. One of his former students wrote, “What you taught us day in and day out, on the mat and off the mat, in the classroom and out in the community about being better people, being humble, being there for each other, the list goes on, I thank God you were always there for us.”
We will miss you, Stacey.
