Vilma Marie Burcin Boulifard

It is with deep sadness that Vilma Marie Burcin Boulifard has passed away. She passed away on July 26th 2023, in the loving company of son Paul John Boulifard, and brother John Burcin. Her passing came after a brief battle with complications of a stroke that occurred in March.

Vilma was a proud Pennsylvanian, born in the small village of Still Creek, and graduating from Tamaqua High School in 1956. After graduation she moved to Philadelphia where she received her certificate as an X-Ray Technician from Philadelphia General Hospital in 1958. From that time on she was an active professional working full-time and part-time in several different public and private settings. Most notably, here in the Winston-Salem area, she worked for the late Dr. John D. Hayes, Dr. Jerome Jennings, and until her retirement in 2017, with Dr. Kenneth G. Tomberlin (retired) and Dr. Thomas C. Spangler. In these settings Vilma forged long-lasting friendships and relationships that spanned office and home.

Along with her professional passions for serving her patients and doctors, Vilma had a constant curiosity for travel, the thing she most loved. Her late husband Robert was of French heritage, and one of her favorite and most cherished locations to visit was France. Paris was always the hub, but over the years of travel there, each corner of the country became a destination. As well as her penchant for Europe, there was always a suitcase at the ready for adventures to friends and family throughout the country. When not traveling Vilma was the consummate host. Her home was a revolving door for friends from all over that visited to share time, food, and a great story.

When Vilma was not planning her next adventure, she was always keeping busy. She was an avid and accomplished seamstress; there was no home improvement task that she did not want to conquer. She loved working in the yard, planting flowers, and harvesting vegetables from the garden. One of the highlights of that harvest were her tomatoes and the surplus harvest tomato sauce.

It would be safe to say that her curiosity for life never stopped and was the magnet that attracted everyone to her. She was the definition of the adage, “she never met a stranger.” She will be deeply missed, and her memories will live long with the people she touched.

She was preceded in death by Robert her husband and parents John and Mary Krish Burcin. She is survived by son Paul John Boulifard and wife Kim, sister Florence Postupack, brother Robert Burcin and wife Kaye, and brother John Burcin. Her immediate family includes Peter Postupack, Lori and James Gormley, Shelley and Ayu Merid, and Christopher and Michelle Burcin.

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00am on Friday, August 4, 2023, at Holy Family Catholic Church. The family will be receiving friends from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Thursday, August 3, 2023 at Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel. Officiating the service will be Father James Stuhrenberg. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.