Austin J. Burka

Austin J. Burka, age 42 of Greenville, South Carolina, and formerly of Lincoln Park, died suddenly and unexpectedly on December 31, 2021 at his home in S. Carolina. He had most recently been a Quality Control Engineer with Henkel North America, in Enoree, S. Carolina.

Austin grew up in Lincoln Park and Vernon, NJ, graduating from Vernon High School with the class of 1997. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree from William Paterson University. He was very close in age with his three brothers and they were always playing together. Some of their best memories were at grandma Burka’s house, playing in her yard and swimming in the pool there. The Burka family is a very large family in Lincoln Park, and grandma’s house is where Austin and his cousins traditionally gathered. Some of Austin’s cousins are decades apart in age, but he was very close with all of them and able to make real connections with each of them. He cherished his cousins and they were all like best friends to him. When he moved to S. Carolina last year, he invited many of them to come and visit his new home. He would take them mountain biking, touring around Greenville, and he always loved to eat out. Sampling the foods at local restaurants was a passion of his – he simply loved food! His newer friends may not know this, but Austin was quite the guitar player in his high school days. He played lead guitar in the band “Super Burka” with his brother, Justin, and they performed in several ‘battle of the bands’ competitions. Austin was a rock star, or at least he thought he was! At some point, he traded in his electric guitar for a mountain bike, and that became his new passion. He loved the outdoors and always knew how to have fun.

Austin was a kind soul and treated everyone like a genuine friend. He cast a wide net and easily made friends in many circles. He knew how to make real connections with people, and his relationships were always meaningful. There wasn’t a judgmental bone in his body and he knew to do the right thing in most any situation, even if it was to his own detriment. Generous to a fault, but always generous, no matter what. He touched many lives, helped many people, and he will be sadly missed by everyone.

Austin in survived by his mother; Marian McGlew and her husband Daniel of Murrells Inlet, S. Carolina, and by his father; Joseph Burka and his wife Karen of Brant Lake, NY, two brothers; Joey Burka and his wife Jackie of Mooresville, NC, and Justin Burka of Westtown, NY, his niece and nephew; Juliet and Jackson Burka, and many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins.