George Henry Burnett

BURNETT, George Henry, 91, of Henrico, Va., entered eternal life Friday, July 14, 2017. A devoted and beloved father, grandfather, uncle and friend, he was preceded in death by his parents, Bayard P. and Sarah Kelly Burnett; his brothers, Ira, William, Horace and Robert Burnett; his sister, Louise Burnett Moss; his dear wife, Ruth Anne Headley Burnett; and son, Stephen George Burnett. He is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth Burnett (Richard) Ward, Cindy J. (Stephen) Burnett; grandchildren, Kelly Ward, Justin Burnett, Heather (Matt) Latham, Stephanie Burnett; and many nieces and nephews, most dear, Virginia Burnett (George) Beasley, Roland Burnett, Shirley Moss Maxey and Patricia Burnett (John) Quigley. He is also survived by Cynthia W. Burnett and dear neighbors.

Born July 10, 1926, he grew up on Church Hill and graduated as National Honor Society member from John Marshall High School in 1943 where he met his sweetheart. He attended William and Mary, served in the 82nd Airborne and completed his B.S. in Chemistry at University of Richmond. He retired as a research chemist at Philip Morris.

George was a passionate reader with cards in three counties, his hobby was the study of the Civil War and he was a lifelong volunteer. He was a Lion and Melvin Jones fellow, past president of Virginia Association of Workers for the Blind, American Chemical Society emeritus, Richmond Civil War Round Table past president, Virginia Historical Society and American Legion member. He was a Boy Scout assistant, cub and scout master for 25 years earning the Order of Merit and long-time member of the Richmond Blind Bowling League. He attended Trinity UMC until transferring to First UMC Mocksville. He lived his entire life in RVA until 2016 when he moved to North Carolina to live with his daughter. But his heart remained in “Ole Virginny.”

Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at the Parham Chapel, Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd., where a funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 19, interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice. A Celebration of Life will be held at First United Methodist Church, Mocksville at a later date. Condolences may be offered at woodyfuneralhomeparham.com.