The Shadow
Bre Burkholder
“But never have I been a blue calm sea. I have always been a storm.”
-Stevie Nicks
Dabreyl “Bre” Burkholder, also affectionately known as “Breezy,” “Amaryllis,” and “Aunt B.,” 36, of Covington, Virginia quietly executed her final Irish Goodbye and transitioned to the Bright Side of Grey on Monday, March 31, 2025.
Ms. Burkholder was born on Saturday, February 18, 1989, in Roanoke, Virginia, the daughter of the late Daryl and Debra Burkholder. She attended Dabney S. Lancaster Community College where she graduated with an Associates of Applied Science in Administration of Justice and a Certificate in Law Enforcement. Bre worked as a Communications Officer for the Covington Division of Police, the Clifton Forge Police Department, the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rockbridge Regional Public Safety Communications Center serving the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office, Buena Vista Police Department, Lexington Police Department, and VMI Police as well as 17 fire and rescue companies. She was also employed by the LewisGale
Regional Health System as an armed Security Officer for seven years before changing careers and pursuing her life’s work in the funeral service industry. She attended John Tyler Community College and graduated with an Associates of Applied Science in Funeral Services and a Certificate in Allied Health. From there she went on to begin her career as a Funeral Director/Embalmer, Crematory Operator, & Preneed Specialist and over the years she served at Loving Funeral Home of Covington; John M. Oakey & Son Funeral Home of Salem; Lotz Funeral Home of Roanoke; Cremation Choice of Virginia; and was most recently employed by Oakey’s Funeral Service at the Roanoke Chapel as an embalmer in the Care Center. She also
served many other funeral homes over the years in Southwest Virginia; the Roanoke Valley; and even as far as Chesterfield, Virginia and The Greater Richmond Area as the role of an independent trade funeral director and embalmer and also as a transport technician for H&S Removal Service in Richmond, Virginia. Bre was a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Covington, Virginia and also attended First Christian Church in Covington, Virginia. Ms. Burkholder preferred the finer things in life, living for today and not thinking about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is never promised; of course, the funeral director in her knew that statement to be very true. Breezy was highly proficient in advocating for others, strongly expressing her opinions, fluent in sarcasm, and gallows humor. Like most of the women in her family, she was truly a force to be reckoned with.
One of her greatest accomplishments in life was funeral directing, and most especially embalming and restoration-a skill and trade that she loved performing as well as education and instructing others within industry. She took much pride in her work and pleased the families she served in a time in which they experienced their darkest hours. When she wasn’t working, Breezy could usually be found with a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, and entertaining in the company of great friends and family. Most of all, she loved vacationing to the beach, especially the sugar sands and the clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. Other times, she could be found in cemeteries and graveyards photographing old gravesites, epitaphs, and
statuary. After all, they’re one of the few places a person could find actual peace and quiet away from the rest of the world. She possessed a great appreciation for the macabre arts and dark literature. To quote Winston Churchill: “She was a riddle, wrapped in mystery, inside an enigma.”
In addition to her mother, Debbie Burkholder, surviving to carry on her legacy is her brother, Daryn Burkholder and wife, Sara; nephew, Henry Burkholder, and several beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, and many special friends near and far whom she also considered family. Also surviving
are her fur-babies, Princess and RowwRoww.
A graveside service will be conducted Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 11 am in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Covington. Family will receive friends at Oakey’s Funeral Service- Roanoke Chapel, 318 Church Ave Roanoke, Virginia 24016 on Friday, April 4, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Oakey’s Funeral Service – Roanoke Chapel. Online condolences may be expressed by visiting www.oakeys.com.
Raise a Glass
-James Mooney
Do not mourn me.
Don’t drown me
in black cloth and
quiet whispers;
Laugh loud, drink deep.
Tell the stories that
made me live,
remember the
bad jokes,
the nights that
stretched into dawn,
the times we swore we’d never forget…
and don’t.
I was here,
A life well lived.
I want something more than tears.
So raise a glass,
And dance a little.
Let the wind take
my name…
I’ll be listening.
Do not mourn me.
Celebrate me.
