Obituary
Eileen Marie (Jacobs) Burkert, 100, of Fort Myers, Florida passed away peacefully on June 4, 2019 surrounded by her family. She was born to Henry and Ruby (Jervis) Jacobs on a farm near Muskegon, Michigan where there was no electricity or indoor plumbing. She has seen a lot of changes.
She graduated from Muskegon High School in 1936 and worked at several jobs including department stores and the phone company. In 1939, she met Albert Burkert who took her on their first date to see “The Wizard of Oz”. They were married in January 1942, one month after the beginning of WWII, a marriage lasting until Albert’s death in 2003. She had four siblings; three brothers, Henry, Lyle, and Roland and one sister, Genevieve, all of whom have pre-deceased her.
Her husband was away in the European theater of the war in the US Army participating in the invasion of North Africa and returned in late 1944. They began their family in 1946, eventually having four boys. They moved to Florida in 1959 and to the Fort Myers area in 1991.
Eileen was a sweet, warm, and loving mother, grandmother, and friend to all who knew her. She was active in her different churches over her lifetime, lastly as a member of Messiah Lutheran in North Fort Myers.
She is survived by her four sons, Thomas (Laura) of Lansing, Michigan, William of Fort Myers, Peter (Connie) of Fort Myers, and James (Sharon) of Seattle, Washington. She is also survived by eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren with two more on their way.
The family will have a private service at a later time at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida where she will be interred with her late husband.
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