On Aug. 20, 2007, Kayla Gerard started her first day of kindergarten at St. Joseph School. This alone was not out of the ordinary; however, the fact that Kayla’s great grandfathers, Leo Trimble and Gene Burke, and great grandmother Rosalie (McGarry) Trimble, also attended school at St. Joseph’s does make her family history unique. There have been many four-generation families to attend St. Joseph School, but the Burkes may have attended the most consecutive years — 52 and still more to come!
Along with two great grandfathers and a great grandmother, many other relatives of Kayla have attended St. Joseph School: great aunts, great uncles, great cousins, an aunt and an uncle. Kayla’s great-grandparents Leo and Rosalie Trimble first attended St. Joseph High School in 1934 and 1935 respectively. Kayla’s great-grandpa Gene Burke started in 1943. This started 65 years of the Burke family at St. Joseph’s with a two-year gap (1955 and 1956).
Kayla’s grandpa Gary Burke, son of Gene and Sally, started at St. Joseph’s in 1957. Gary’s 10 brothers and sisters followed. While some of Gary’s younger siblings were still attending St. Joseph’s, the next generation started. This generation includes Kayla’s mother, Eileen (Burke) Gerard. Family members in Kayla’s generation look to add to that 52 years — she has two younger brothers and a younger sister.
To make things more interesting, this school year Gene Burke’s youngest granddaughter, Grace Mosier, started her St. Joseph School career by attending the new St. Joseph Preschool.
