Buerkle, Ann Marie, 1951-

Ann Marie Buerkle (née Colella; born May 8, 1951) is an American nurse, attorney, and politician. A member of the Republican Party, she notably served as U.S. Representative from New York's 25th congressional district from 2011 to 2013.

Born in Albany, New York, she graduated from Mount Carmel Catholic High School in Auburn before attending St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Syracuse. She married August R. Buerkle two weeks after earning her nursing degree in 1972; the couple divorced in 1997. Buerkle specialized in trauma treatment at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City until her family moved back to central New York in 1976. The following year, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College in Syracuse. Buerkle worked as a teaching nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital until leaving the job to care for her family, occasionally substituting as a school nurse in the Syracuse area. During this period, she also became involved with the movement against abortion rights and helped found a Friends for Life chapter in Syracuse. She served as local spokeswoman for the chapter and the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue before leading the Syracuse Right-to-Life Group.

...