Burke, Nelda
BURKE, Nelda
Nelda Brantley Fancher Burke departed our world at Lenbrook in Atlanta on November 11, 2023. She was 96.
She was much loved among a wide circle of family and friends for her style, compassion and great sense of fun. Nelda enjoyed playing pranks on her daughters and sons-in-law until her final days.
She loved antiques, music and travel, and had a great flair for combining these passions in her beautiful homes.
Nelda was an avid and talented golfer. In her 60's, she won a women vs men tournament with her favorite golfing partner, Charlotte, at Ocean Forest in Sea Island, where she was a member. She and her husband Bob were also members of the Sea Island Club.
Nelda was born on April 2, 1927 in Birmingham, Alabama, to Haskew and Margaret Hicks Brantley. Nelda and her big brother, Haskew Jr., a former Georgia state senator, were the only children of Haskew and "Maggie," and remained close for life.
Nelda was raised in Atlanta. She graduated from Washington Seminary and Agnes Scott College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and music. In 1949 she married Thomas Alfred Fancher of Miami, FL, a graduate of Georgia Tech. They lived in Atlanta and raised 3 daughters – Ginny, Barbara and Lori.
Nelda and "Tommy" were members of Atlanta Country Club, where she served many years as a volunteer at The Atlanta Classic tournament.
Nelda remarried in 1985, to Robert Donald "Bob" Burke of Jersey City, NJ. They lived in Greenwich Village, NYC until Bob's retirement in 1992. They then relocated to the home they had built on Dunbar Creek in St Simons Island. There she served as president of the St. Clair Homeowners' Association.
Nelda was a devoted supporter of the Humane Society. She adored her adopted feral cat "Claire," who wandered in from the marsh and recognized a good thing when she saw it.
She was preceded in death by Thomas Fancher, Robert Burke and her brother Haskew, Jr.
She is survived by her daughters, Virginia (Ginny) Lange, Barbara (Barbie) Avery and Loren (Lori) Falls; and sons-in-law, Don Lange, Herb Avery and Mark Falls. She has two grandchildren, Thomas Avery and Lenzie Avery; and one great-grandson, Hale Henry Avery.
In 2020, Nelda relocated to Lenbrook in Atlanta, where she participated in monthly piano concerts, often performing her favorite Chopin mazurka, and loved having her signature martini with her Lenbrook friends in the lobby bar.
She will be interred at Christ Church, St Simons, where she was a member. Memorial details will be shared with friends and family when a date for the service is determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Nelda's name to Christ Church, ccfssi.org, or the Alzheimer's Association, alz.org. For more information, visit the website of H.M. Patterson and Sons - Oglethorpe Hill Chapel.
View the obituary on Legacy.com
Funeral Home Information
H.M. Patterson & Son-Oglethorpe Hill Chapel
4550 Peachtree Road Ne
Atlanta, GA
30319
