Mrs. Sylvia Dianne Burkley

​Sylvia Dianne (Jones) Burkley was born January 29, 1952 in Galveston County Memorial Hospital.  She departed this life on October 5, 2020.  Dianne was the eldest of two daughters, born to Joshua Jones and Rosie Pauline McKinney Jones of Dickinson, Texas.  Dianne attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Dickinson, Texas.   However, after the passing of her father, the family moved to Houston, Texas where she attended Jack Yates High School where she became a majorette and member of the music department.

​Dianne also became a Christian at a young age.  She attended Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church in Dickinson, Texas under the stewardship of Rev. M.I. Lewis.  As a young musical student of her aunt Edith McKinney, she possessed the gift of reading music at an early age.  She mastered her gift in music and assisted with the youth department at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church (BYPU) and played the piano for her family’s gospel singing group that often performed at various events in the Dickinson community.  Her other musical contributions included serving as Minister of music at Antioch Missionary Baptist church.  In addition, Dianne became a devoted member of Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church where she served in the music ministry.

​Dianne began her paraprofessional career in the retail and banking industry and during that time, she became the mother of a loving son named Christopher H. Jones (1971).   While parenting she began to search for career paths and found her niche within the Shell Oil and Gas industry.  On February 14th, 1980, Dianne married Reverend Mark A. Burkley and became the loving step- mother to their daughter, Miracole E. Burkley.  Dianne and Mark shared a blissful 40 years of marriage together until her recent passing.  Dianne was a devoted, caring, and loving mother, daughter, wife, sister, godmother, niece, aunt, and friend to many.  She will be remembered most for the countless ways she showed love and met all with her kind demeanor and infectious smile.  She served as an usher and greeter at Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church where she also loved taking pictures of her church family, which she adored.

​She is survived by her husband, Reverend Mark A. Burkley (Houston, TX), son, Christopher Jones (India) (Dallas Texas), her mother, Rosie P. Jones (Houston, Texas), her sister, Josalyn D. Jones (Lyons, New York), aunts, Shamarion Barber (Dickinson, Texas) and Edith McKinney (Austin, Texas) and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and co-workers.

​For those of you who knew “Burkley”, as most of her close friends and co-workers called her, she was a ray of sunshine, a loving caring woman who loved Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  As a natural nurturer she exemplified this love to infants and toddlers greeting them with her bright cheery eyes, a gentle smile, and arms to shelter them in her love and care.

​Her love knew no bounds.  She genuinely loved people and she loved to meet with them her energetic and happy spirit, her contagious smile, and positive disposition.  We will cherish her for the gifts she leaves behind.  Let us remember, Burkley!   

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