Alice Allayne (Beckford) Burke

Alice Allayne (Beckford) Burke affectionately known as "Lady" to her family and close friends passed away on Monday July 13, 2026 at her home in Charlestown, MA, she was 85 years old.

Born on Friday, May 2, 1941 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Alice E. Beckford (Jackson) and Harold Beckford. She was the 6th of Alice's children Millicent "Mickey", Phyllis, Harold "Hoover", William "Willie" and Donald "Buggy".

Alice attended the Houghton elementary school and Cambridge High and Latin. After highschool she was briefly married to Alfred (Bootsie) Burke. After working for a number of years at unfulfilling jobs she decided to follow her heart and make a career change that would allow her to help people. This lead her to pursue nursing, enrolling at Youville Hospital School of Practical Nursing where she earned her LPN. After graduation she worked at Youville Hospital providing patient care where she discovered a passion for working with the elderly. Her love and care extended to her home where she cared for her ailing mother until her passing and later the care of her brother "Buggy".

After nearly 2 decades at Youville she went to work at Chilton House Hospice providing end of life care for another 2 decades. So beloved by the staff and patients at Chilton House a room was named after her to honor her dedication and commitment to care.

Even after retirement she continued to offer assistance for her elderly friends accompanying them to doctors visits, explaining treatments and diagnosis and just offering an ear or shoulder for comfort.

Alice had a love for card games (cribbage, pinochle, bid whist), cooking and crossword puzzles. Back in the day, you could find Alice and the crew in the Beckford Family living room Friday thru Sunday playing pinochle, eating comfort food prepared by she and her mother and trading barbs. Some of her favorite meals to cook included fried chicken, her infamous potato salad, oxtails, chitterlings, pigs feet and crabs.

After retirement Bid Whist was the game, weekly, with her brother Buggy, sister's-in-law Ike and Rosetta, and brother and sister in-law by marriage Cindy and Sonny Smith. This game rotated houses (Cambridge, Framingham and Boston) but no matter the setting the good food and trash talking remained the same.

She watched the Celtics religiously, and was an avid Bird watcher. During his tenure you could find her glued to the TV during any Celtic's game chanting "Larry Bird he's my man, if he can't do it no one can!"

Many don't know about Alice's son Mookoo, whom she kidnapped from her niece Shelley. Alice can be seen in many photos cuddling with Mookoo, the 4 legged poodle.

She is preceded in death by her parents and siblings. She leaves to celebrate her life: sisters in-law Ayako "Ike" Beckford and Rosetta (Smith) Beckford; nieces and nephews Nelson Woodfork (Anne), Nancy Woodfork, Phyllis Beckford, Darlene (Beckford) Pearson (James), Derek Goodman, Harold H Beckford (Tania), Cynthia Beckford-Brewington; grandnieces and nephews Shelley (Beckford) Flaherty (Ehren), Carolyn Butler, Divon Goodman, Kyla Beckford, Harold H Beckford Jr, Jayda Pearson, Zaria Brewington, India Goodman, Kamya Beckford; great-grandnieces and nephews, Deavoni Beckford, Demetri Flaherty, Chance Flaherty, Amari (Flaherty) Gordon (Johnai) Khaleil Butler, Layla Goodman,, Xavier Craig, Alaia Craig, SurKhari Cottrell, Xyla Colebrook; and one great-great grandnephew Kayden Gordon.