She was a community fixture, an unscrappable wit, an advocate for Flin Flon, one of many locals known only by one name, a nickname – “Bunny”.
Bunny Burke, the former general manager of Community Futures Greenstone, member and executive with the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce and frequent volunteer for Flin Flon community causes, died March 11, two weeks shy of her 79th birthday.
When Greenstone opened their new offices in a public ceremony later March 11, attendees and volunteers shared their memories of Burke.
“Bunny is the reason why I joined Community Futures Greenstone,” Greenstone chair Tom Therien said at the ceremony.
“For those of you who knew Bunny, it's pretty hard to say no when she asks. When she came and asked if I would consider being a board member, of course I said yes.”
Burke was active in the community right up until her death. A former board member for the Flin Flon Bombers, she would often be seen working games at the Whitney Forum, including a spell as a rink security guard.
Therien said he often met with Burke for coffee while working as the manager of the North of 53 Consumers’ Co-op.
“We'd sit there and we talked about everything, whether it be Greenstone, whether it be the City of Flin Flon, the news, the Bombers for sure,” he said.
“I miss those days. I really honestly do.”
“Bunny was a friend,” Flin Flon mayor and Greenstone board member Cal Huntley said at the ribbon cutting.
Huntley joked about Burke’s time and attempted influence on him, drawing multiple laughs from the crowd.
“She was tenacious and involved in everything in the community,” he said.
“She might not have always had the right perspective, but she certainly would share it with you regardless. I tried to talk her into running for council and she didn't want to do that. She just wanted to tell me what I had to do.”
