Stephen William Burnett

Stephen William Burnett, born in Santa Cruz, Calif., June 2, 1925, went to eternal life June 15, 2012. He was preceded in death by his father, Stephen William Burnett, a World War 1 veteran, in 1953; his mother, Agatha Louise (Hon) Ostervold in 1981; his former wife, Eleanor Burnett in 2001; his brother, John Dayton Burnett in 1994; and father-in-law, Dr. Jorge Enrique Bejar in 1991. He leaves behind the love of his life, his wife, Malena Burnett and their children, Joann Malena (Princess Joni), Stephen Francis and wife, Esmeralda, Michael Anthony and David Christian Burnett Bejar, stepgrandson, Ryan McNair, and grandchildren, Connor, Arrianna and Seth Arthur Burnett; daughter, Patricia Burnett (Latch); stepchildren, Dr. Andrew Burnett DVM and Geraldine Burnett; nephews, Richard (Rick) Alan Burnett, his wife, Patty, and sons, Joe and David Burnett, Stephen (Steve) William Burnett, his wife, Debbie, and their children, Brian Burnett, married to Beca, Josh Burnett, married to Lindsey, and niece, Barbara (Barb) Buckley, married to Pat Buckley, and her children, Adrienne and Jordan; sisters-in-law, Cecilia Bejar Granda, and her children, Giulian, Frank and David Morales, Anita Bejar-Bantz, married to Dr. Richard Bantz, and son, Richard (Ricky) Bantz of Scottsdale, Ariz., Rosa D'Amico, married to Carmelo D'Amico, and children, Andrea, Laura and Diego Damis and Claudia D'Amico, Evita Cianelli, married to Enzo Cianelli, and children, Daniel and Elisa and Carolina Lindberg, married to Carl Lindberg and their children, Matthew and Melanie Lindberg, and his mother-in-law, Laura Granda de Bejar. Stephen served his country during World War II as a pilot of a PT1 Vega Ventura. After the war, he attended San Jose State University and Colorado School of Mines, where he graduated with a degree in mining and geology. He settled in southern California, and became a manager for Sears Roebuck in Pomona. Later, he moved to the Reno area and became a realtor and a broker. His sense of adventure took him to South America as vice president of Western Research and Development Corporation, a company hired by the government of Ecuador to drill water wells to provide to rural communities severely affected by drought. He later founded Tecnagua S.A. to continue drilling to provide water in various oil camps in the Amazon jungle and to do soil stabilization jobs. In between jobs, he managed to go on trips to dredge for gold in the Esmeralda Province in northwest Ecuador near the Colombia border, search for native artifacts and explore for mines in the main land and in the Galapagos Islands, survived ambushes, drilling accidents and bouts of malaria and typhoid and his tales of adventure became legendary, as well as his family gatherings around the barbeque. He returned to the United States and retired in 1985, became the administrator of his wife's business Amigo Services Scribes, where he was loved and admired by the numerous and loyal clientele. For the past 15 years, he enjoyed trips with his wife to their little place in the Riviera Nayarita, Mexico, and nostalgia trips to his native Santa Cruz in Monterey Bay, Calif., and San Francisco. He was an avid deep sea fisherman and enjoyed nature, long walks by the beach, relaxing in the evenings to watch the magnificent sunsets from the terrace of Rancho Aventura. He was loved and truly missed by his family in North and South America, his Mexican family in Nayarit, and all his friends. Visitation will be 3-7 p.m. Saturday, June 23. Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 24, both at Palm Mortuary, 1325 N. Main St., Las Vegas, NV 89101. He will be laid to rest at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in San Francisco, next to his parents and brother. Family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project by visiting their website, www.woundedwarriorproject.org