William J. Burke Jr. passed away peacefully at his home on April 6, 2020, surrounded by his loving Family. He was 92. Born April 5, 1928 at his family’s home on Liberty St to William and Lena (Riedinger) Burke, “Bill” was a lifelong resident of Hackettstown. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister Helen and her husband Arthur Mulvihill, and sister Irene and her husband Terrence Byrne.

He is survived by his wife of over 67 years Agnes (Romano); his children, Mary Ellen Stone and her husband Andrew of Magnolia DE; William III (Bud) and his wife Marlene of Newtown PA; Richard and his wife Nancy of Hackettstown NJ; Patricia of Hackettstown; Maureen Riggi and her husband Ron of Dover DE; Shawn and his wife Alice of Hackettstown; and Katherine Dougherty of Hackettstown; as well as 23 grandchildren and their spouses, 13 great-grandchildren, and many loving nieces and nephews.

A 1945 graduate of Hackettstown High School, Bill lettered in Football, Basketball and Baseball. He was a proud member of the undefeated 1943 Tiger Football team and was Captain of the 1945 Tiger Baseball team. Bill attended Rutgers University briefly before enlisting in the US Marine Corps, where he attended basic training at Paris Island SC, after which he was stationed at Camp Pendleton CA. Upon discharge Bill returned to Rutgers University where he played football on the “150 lb.” Football team, was a member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity and graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Education, Class of 1951, ultimately earning a Master’s Degree in Education from Rutgers as well.

Bill began his career at Hackettstown Public Schools where he taught 7th grade history and coached High School football under the legendary Charles “Chot” Morrison. He became part of the original teaching staff at Morris Hills High School in Rockaway, NJ when that school opened its doors in 1953. He joined the school’s first football coaching staff as well as serving as athletic trainer. In 1956 he founded the Knights first wrestling club and continued as head coach of the Varsity team thru 1972. He remained at the school as a Guidance Counselor, retiring in 1985.

He authored several articles for “Scholastic Coach” and had his work published in the book “Championship Wrestling – An Anthology” in 1977. He was a past President and Vice President of the New Jersey Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, and a charter member and first chairman of the Jersey Hills Wrestling association. Bill organized and ran the first Christmas Wrestling Tournament in Morris County, co-directed the District Wrestling Tournament at Morris Hills for over 10 years, and for many years served as a judge at the NJSIAA State Wrestling Tournament. Bill received the NJICA Honor Award in 1972 and the Harry E. Lake Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Sport of Wrestling in 1976.

Bill was a dedicated parishioner of The Church of the Assumption, Hackettstown, a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus, Joyce Kilmer Council, and The American Legion, and proudly served as the Grand Marshall of Hackettstown’s 2016 St Patrick’s Day Parade. He was a 12-year member of the Hackettstown Board of Education, serving several terms as Vice President. He was twice inducted to the Hackettstown High School Athletic Hall of Fame, as an athlete and special contributor in 2018 and again in 2019 as a Coach of the 1951 State Championship football team. He was a 1987 inductee to Morris County Wrestling Hall of Fame, and a 2015 inductee to The National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

An accomplished piano player, Bill would inevitably be found at the keyboard during family get togethers, entertaining family and friends with an endless set of standards committed to memory. His favorite place was the back porch of his home overlooking the yard of the house that he and Agnes built in 1965 and where his family called home. He enjoyed music, dancing, travel, golf, The NY Giants, and Rutgers football. He loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events and activities and was a fixture at Hackettstown Football games for over 80 years. He was always happy to have former students and athletes, extended family, neighbors, colleagues, and even his children’s friends drop by for visits, and would scour newspapers to follow all his “kids” accomplishments, often following up with a note of encouragement or an appropriate clip of wisdom he had copied down over the years.

Bill valued commitment: commitment to his child bride, his family, his work, his hometown, his community, and his country. He often referred to himself as “the richest man in town” because he was proud of the family he raised and the community of which he was a part. His legacy endures in the lives of his family, his students and all those whose lives he touched. His warm smile and friendly greeting are missed by family, friends and those that had the good fortune to make his acquaintance.