By Maggie FitzRoy
mail@floridanewsline.com
Since moving to Ponte Vedra Beach 20 years ago, Laura Burke says there are three ways people have come to know her.
“Everybody I know is by one or more of these three things,” she says. “I exercise with you, or I’ve helped you take care of your dog, or you’ve been on my faith journey.”
But you may have also spotted her at the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library, where she volunteers in Seymour’s Book Store on Wednesdays and helps organize book sales throughout the year. “I’m a voracious reader. I believe in libraries. I want children to love books and want to read,” she says. “The best part of retirement is giving back and one of the best ways you can do that is to volunteer in the library.”
Q: Where did you live before moving to Ponte Vedra Beach?
A: I came from Gulf Breeze, Florida, near Pensacola. I grew up in Bay Head, New Jersey — a Jersey Shore town a mile long and a mile wide. My parents moved to Ft. Lauderdale when I was a teenager and that’s where I finished high school. Then I went to college, college, college, college.
Q: How many college degrees do you have?
A: I have two Bachelor of Science degrees, one Master of Science, one Ed.S. (educational specialist) and then I went back to school to become a registered nurse. I like school, I like learning.
Q: What can you tell us about your experience in the health care field?
A: My master’s in science is in exercise physiology and after that I worked as an R.N. in a hospital. My specialty was orthopedics and neurology, caring for people with bone, muscle, and head injuries.
Q: What kinds of exercise do you do?
A: I play pickleball. I go to the gym to work on core strength. I take two-hour hikes with my red tri Australian Shepherd, Joy, where we go to the beach, or we go to the golf course at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club before the golfers arrive. I also work out at a beach boot camp, where there are stations where you work on different components of fitness, including flexibility, strength, balance, core, and cardio. I also go on bicycle trips with my husband, Mike. I do not think you grow old gracefully if you do not move. Motion is lotion; rest is rust.
Q: Do you have a hobby?
A: Dog grooming. It’s a passion, not a business. My absolute favorite thing in the world to do is to teach somebody how to take care of their dog — regular care, including bathing and nails. I help people get the equipment they need to groom their own dog if they want to learn. I help people who have dogs that are very old and have anxiety.
Q: How did your love for dogs begin?
A: When I was in elementary school, I told my dad he should be arrested for child abuse because I was growing up without a dog and that wasn’t right. A month or so later he took me to see a litter of miniature white poodle puppies and said, “Go get you one.” It was such a blessing because I learned how to groom. Nobody was going to take care of my dog but me.
Q: How did you learn how to groom dogs?
A: We found a groomer who would let me stay and watch. Then in high school, I found a grooming shop where I could be an apprentice. On summer vacations during my college years, I worked in grooming shops and for vets.
Q: What can you tell us about your faith journey?
A: My life was a train wreck until I was in my thirties. Horrible relationships, dangerous, reckless behavior. Then I ran into people who had so much joy and contentment and they had boundaries that brought them a more vibrant life. Those people brought me to Jesus, to faith, to a better life. I attend Beach Church, which is Christian, biblical, and community oriented. We are a service church to the community.
Photo courtesy Maggie FitzRoy
Laura Burke and her red tri Australian Shepherd, Joy.
