George Jackson "Jack" Burks,

COLUMBIA—A service celebrating the life of George Jackson “Jack” Burks, Jr. will be held on Tuesday October 3, 2017 at2:00 p.m. at the Riverland Hills Baptist Church, 201 Lake Murray Blvd., Irmo, S.C. 29063, with entombment to follow at Bush River Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.Dr. Tim Phillips and Reverend Wayne Cole will officiate the celebration of life.The Burks family will receive friends on Monday afternoon, October 2, 2017, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at Temples-Halloran Funeral Home, 5400 Bush River Road, Columbia, S.C. 29212. Mr. Burks was born in Columbia, S.C. on March 13, 1940.He was the son of the late George Jackson Burks, Sr. and Laverne Sharpe Burks.Survivors include Ann, his loving wife of 57 years; son, Brigadier General (USAF) James Jackson “Jay” Burks and his wife Valarie of Centreville, Virginia; nephew Edward Wade Smith, II, of Tacoma, Washington; treasured family dog, Maggie; as well as granddog, Jersey. Jack and Ann married in 1959, and they lived in the Columbia area nearly their entire married lives.He was a longtime member of the Riverland Hills Baptist Church, where he was active in the life of the church over a five-decade period.He served as a Sunday School teacher, Friendship Class president, Joy Club president, and usher, as well as a volunteer for many other ministry-related activities.Mr. Burks was also a member of the Gideon’s International, distributing countless Bibles to spread the Good Word.Mr. Burks graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina in 1965, and built a successful sales career culminating with several decades of employment by the Procter & Gamble Corporation, where he retired as a highly decorated pharmaceutical salesman.Aside from family and faith, Mr. Burks was an active amateur “Ham” radio operator, a hobby he began in his early teenage years.He was known around the world by his call sign, K4CNW, and talked with fellow “Hams” in every AARL-recognized country, winning several international contests.In his retirement, Jack enjoyed fishing, gardening, freelance writing, photography, and extensive world-wide travel with Ann. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Riverland Hills Baptist Church, 201 Lake Murray Blvd., Irmo, S.C. 29063 and/or Gideons International (Richland County), 5106 Two Notch Road #B, Columbia, S.C. 29204. On-line condolences may be sent to www.templeshalloranfuneralhome.com