As an avid pet lover and a caregiver, being a part of the pet industry specializing in death care has allowed Coleen to share both of these characteristics to the thousands of families that she has companioned through the loss of their beloved furry friends. In 2004, she founded Pet Angel Memorial Center, the United States' first stand-alone pet funeral home. Since then, Coleen has been deemed by publications such as Kates-Boylston’s Pet Loss Insider as the “United States most well-known pet funeral director.”
A recognized leader within the world of Pet Death Care through organizations such as the National Funeral Directors Association and the International Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Association, her work within the pet death care industry has begun to span the country to others who share in her passion for pets and their respectful treatment in death. In April, 2009, she was awarded the first Death & Grief Studies Certification with a Specialty in Pet Loss Companioning from Dr. Alan Wolfelt, an internationally known grief educator and counselor. Most recently she has branched out and founded Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, a consulting business that will guide people who also want to provide death care services to their communities as well as being an educator in the grief area and author for resources dealing with Pet Death Care.
In addition to the five years in pet death care, Coleen’s work experience also spans over 18 years in the human funeral business. Most of her career has been spent with Forethought Financial Services, the nation’s largest insurance and trust provider to the funeral industry for funding funerals in advance. While at Forethought, Coleen served numerous roles and received many sales awards, including being the first woman inducted into Forethought’s prestigious President Club for her work within the industry.
Coleen is a native of Kansas where she graduated from Fort Hays State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing with a minor in Business Administration.
Coleen resides in Indianapolis, IN, with her husband, Chris Burke. They have three four-legged children, Mike the Dog, Ellie Mae, and Crisco and two two-legged children, Brian and Amy.
