Myrtle Pearl Rector, daughter of William (1840-1905) and Charlotte Elizabeth (Cole) (1851-1940) Rector, was born 1 December 1896, Michigan. She graduated in 1911 from Okemos High School.
Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Michigan) Saturday 20 April 1912
MARRIAGE LICENSES
Benj. L. LaForge, Lansing........22
Myrtie Pearl Rector, Okemos....18
Myrtle married Benjamin Louis "Ben" LaForge, 16 April 1912, Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan. The marriage was short. Myrtle filed for divorce 31 March 1913 and was granted, for extreme cruelty and non-support, divorce 21 June 1913. Ben, born 4 February 1890, died 28 August 1966 Cook County, Illinois. He was interred Chapel Hill Gardens West, DuPage County, Illinois.
Myrtle married Wellington R. Cook, 2 September 1913, Lansing. The marriage was also short, although a daughter was born to the couple. They divorced January 1917. Wellington, a World War I veteran, was born 14 March 1893 East Lansing, Ingham County, and died 1 September 1968, Manatee County, Florida. He was interred Glendale Cemetery, Okemos.
Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Michigan) Wednesday 10 January 1917
Decrees of divorce were granted........Myrtle Cook vs. Wellington R. Cook,....
Myrtle married William H. Burkuhl, 21 May 1918, Wayne County, Michigan. William, born 22 July 1896, St. Charles County, Missouri, was a patrol officer serving on the Detroit police force.
Battle Creek Enquirer (Battle Creek, Michigan) Thursday 7 January 1926
RADIO TAKES NEW ROLE IN CAPTURE OF BURGLAR
Detroit, Jan. 7 - While the broadcasting by radio of descriptions of criminals by the police has been credited with the capture of numerous men, it remained for the radio to play a new role in the arrest of a burglar here Tuesday night.
Patrolman William Burkuhl is a radio fan. He stays up nights listening to the programs radiocast from afar. Tuesday night was he was tuning in on some distant station something went wrong and he proceeded to take the offending radio apart. A noise at a back window distracted him. Investigation proved that a man was attempting to force an entrance. Burkhul pursued the man through several back yards and over back fences until he captured him. The man gave his name as Benedict Pietreski.
Williams was a police officer for many years. In retirement he and Myrtle moved to Florida. William died 15 June 1969, Hillsborough County, Florida.
The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Florida) Sunday 29 June 1969
BURKUHL, WILLIAM H. - Funeral services for Mr. William H. Burkuhl, 72, of 9315 21st St., will be conducted Monday afternoon at 2:00 o'clock for the Northside Chapel of the Duval Funeral Home, 19520 Florida Ave., with the Rev. Martin Vogelsang, Pastor of the Lutheran Church of St. John, officiating. Cremation will follow.
Myrtle died 1 February 1980 Hillsborough County.
The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Florida) Wednesday 6 February 1980
Myrtle P. Burkuhl, 83, of 9315 21st St. died Friday. She was a lifetime resident of Tampa and was a housewife. She is survived by one daughter, Kathleen Cook of Tampa. Duval Funeral Home, Garden Chapel.