May 5, 1948 – December 10, 2025
Passed away on December 10, 2025, following a short illness, with family and friends by her side. Janis was the only living child born to William Dunham Burke and Margret Lucilla Lymburner. She had a sister, Holly Louise Burke, who died at birth in March 1959.
Janis’s early life was marked by constant travel. She attended school in many places across Canada, from British Columbia to Quebec. From the age of 10 until settling into her Hamilton home in 2015, Janis moved more than 60 times. As a child, she travelled throughout Canada with her family in a caravan lifestyle, following her father’s work. One of her cherished memories was travelling the same road as Queen Elizabeth II in Saskatchewan. The family was stopped to allow the Queen to pass, and Janis’s parents were able to meet her personally. The Queen asked about their caravan and learned it was their family home, later gifting Janis’s mother a coronation coin, which Jan proudly wore to school.
Janis was widely known and respected for her remarkable trucking career, which took her across all of Canada and throughout the United States. Along the way, she met countless people whose lives she touched. She made friends easily and became family to many, known as a sister to countless friends over the years. With family in British Columbia, she travelled the Alaska Highway and spent many years chasing reality shows, meeting stars and forming friendships that became a meaningful part of her journey over the past 20 years.
Among her proudest accomplishments, Janis made history in 1984 when she became the first woman to haul logs in Northwestern Ontario, opening the door for many women to follow in her footsteps. One of her earliest driving memories included hauling crushed limestone used to make cement for the base of the CN Tower during its construction in the early 1970s. Over the years, she even hauled the legendary racehorse Secretariat with her husband, Roy.
Janis’s working life was diverse and driven by determination. She worked as a bus driver, moved to Kenora where she built a tire business, returned to logging, and later purchased her own truck to haul HH freight across Canada. She drove for friends, transported freight throughout the United States, and later took a local city position so she could care for her mother and, later, her husband Simon.
Janis was married to Roy Norris on June 6, 1970. Roy passed away in November 1991. She later married Simon Ter Steege on September 3, 2003; Simon passed away in December 2004. Janis was a devoted caregiver to her mother until 2002 and then to her husband in 2003. She endured many losses in her life, including the passing of her father in 2005, yet she remained resilient and deeply compassionate.
Janis will be remembered for her strength, independence, generosity of spirit, and the many lives she touched throughout her travels and career. Her stories, determination, and warmth will be dearly missed. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date and she will be laid to rest in Tillsonburg, ON. Donations can be made, in memory, to St. Peter’s Hospital, 88 Maplewood Ave. Hamilton, ON L8M 1W9.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.