Housley family members

Heather Hess Nibley visits Marie Burnett Housley and her son Jay Housley in early December 2017.

Jay wears a lampshade as well as anyone I know. ;)

4441 Emigration Canyon Road

Here is a screen grab of a 1991 video of Kenneth and Melba's former home he built that used to exist at an address of 4441 Emigration Canyon Road east of Salt Lake City. I have some fond memories of spending time at this home. I invite Burnett grandchildren to reply and share memories they have of time spend at this home.

A road now exists at this location. Most of the front yard used to be filled with gorgeous flowers. People going up or down the canyon would stop on the shoulder of the road to take pictures.

This is what the site of the former Burnett canyon home looks like today. It is the winding intersection of Emigration Canyon Road and North Pioneer Ridge Road and is an access road to a canyon subdivision.

Kennth Burnett's counsel to his posterity at his wife's funeral

On June 20, 1993, on the occasion of the funeral of his wife of seventy-one years, while he had his remaining children and many of his posterity gathered together in one place, grandfather Kenneth Burnett, after sharing some of the experiences of their life together, made the following plea to his posterity and the others there assembled.

“But now Brothers and Sisters, let me tell you, love one another. There is so much hate and envy and malice and trouble in the world today. We live in the great day of Satan. Love one another. Get down on your bended knees at night and thank your Heavenly Father for your life and then turn around and try to always keep his commandments and live his laws that you’ll only be happy.  You’ll never get happiness if you do not live as our Heavenly Father has asked us to live. I hope my children, my grandchildren will remember the things I’m telling them here today. I may not be here another day, I don’t know. I’m here on borrowed time; I realize that (editor’s note: he lived another 6-1/2 years to the age of 105). But when I think …when I think…of the blessings of the Lord…and then when I think…when I say love one another…and when I think about the promise that was made to my dear wife, who lies there in that casket…of the temple…eternal life without sin or death.  I know it with every part of my being.

Now when it comes to loving one another, if you’ve had envy, if you’ve had words, if you’ve had problems, if you’ve had trouble with one another, think of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ nailed to the cross on Calvary and in turn the nail prints and the blood running out of his hands and his feet and the spear in his side…and he turned and he said to his Father, “Forgive them for they know not what they do”. How can we have any forgiveness that compares with that forgiveness? I love my Savior. I love what he’s done.  I love for my life here upon the earth. I had the privilege of going into the mission field on two occasions and bringing this glorious Gospel to some of his children on the earth. Now I’ve said too much.  I’ve said a lot to ya.  But my dear children, please, I plead with you, please love one another. You’ll never feel that Spirit I have felt at that time…I’d give all I possess on this earth if I could be in the feeling and possession of that true Spirit….if it ever touches you, you’ll never forget it. I’ve been in the presence of it when it would just be so strong it would almost consume your flesh. Now the Lord bless you.  I love ya. I’ve spoken on this program that didn’t have my name on it. But I want you to know that that dear Sister that lies in that casket…I’ll tell ya…I hope I’ll be worthy to meet her. And when the day comes for judgment…don’t prejudge people, leave it up to the Lord...and when it comes… the judgment day…and I have carried this thought in my mind from long time…and my Heavenly Father says to me, “Now Kenneth, what have you done for my cause on the Earth?” I hope I’ll be comfortable and I hope I can tell him that I tried. I tried on those missions to bring that wonderful message to his children. Now may the Lord bless ya. I appreciate…I know my dear wife, if she could rise out of there she’d tell you the same thing, how she appreciates you coming here and thinking of us. Now may peace be with you in your homes. And again I say to you, love one another. True love, not puppy love. Not sexual love. True love! May that be the lot with all of you. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

The person conducting the funeral then came to the podium and made the following statement:

“You of the Burnett family have witnessed a remarkable thing today. Your patriarch has given you great counsel and advice. He has given you his patriarchal blessing. As you have gathered together to pay tribute to his wonderful wife, he has felt the desire to bless you as great patriarchs of ages past have done. Adam gathered his posterity together to bless them at the end of his life, as did the great patriarch Jacob. Lehi, as he grew old, felt compelled to bless his children. He said, but behold my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave my blessing upon you. The words of your patriarch that you have heard today are no less important for your family than Lehi’s were for his. These words should be written down and his testimony should become a part of your Book of Remembrance, your family scriptures, and they should be handed down with your testimonies added, to your children and to their children.”

LaRue Burnett Wilde

2016-07-31

I've been thinking for several months about a memory I have of LaRue Burnett Wilde that I want to document and share with her children and other extended Burnett family members. For any who may not know LaRue Burnett Wilde was the 2nd daughter and child of Kenneth and Melba Burnett. The below photo was taken about the time of this memory.

As best as I can recollect, LaRue, who lived with her family near Kansas City, Missouri, traveled to Bountiful, Utah to visit her younger sister Marjorie Burnett Hess(my mother), who was raising five children as a single parent while her husband, Major Jay Hess USAF was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. I believe this trip occurred in the early 1970's , between 1970 and 1972.  Perhaps someone else can narrow down the time more precisely. (maybe the same trip as her brother Byron''s funeral in January 1971?) I recall that her visit lasted several days, maybe a week. I know that my mother appreciated and was glad for her visit. 

The most memorable part of her visit for me was her response to an injury she sustained. Someone (perhaps myself) had left a metal toolbox on the floor of our living room near the front door while using a tool to make some kind of repair. LaRue was walking barefoot through the front room and accidentally smashed her foot into the corner of the toolbox, cutting a deep gash in between her 4th and 5th toes. As I recall, this happened in the evening. LaRue decided to try to handle this herself without going to an emergency room.  LaRue and Marge tried the best they could to administer First Aid and bandage up her foot. The thing that impressed me the most was how calm, cool, and collected she was. She had sustained an ugly and painful wound that freaked me out just looking at i, and must have throbbed each time her heart beat. If such an injury had happened to me, I probably would have been howling in pain. LaRue attempted, without much success as I recall, to get some rest that night, with only aspirin or Tylenol for pain relief. When the pain did not subside substantially by morning, she finally opted to go to an urgent care facility to check whether her little toe might be broken. As I recall, no broken bones were found, but she received several stitches to close up the deep gash in between her toes.

So, I remember my Aunt LaRue as a kind, considerate woman with both a high pain threshold and an impressive amount of self control and determination to try to be self-sufficient.

If with pleasure you are viewing any work that I am doing...

I received the following email from my father, Lt. Col. Jay C. Hess, USAF Retired, today, March 24, 2016. He shared with me a poem that will be familiar to most who knew grandfather Kenneth Burnett. I recall grandfather reciting the poem many times at family gatherings or special occasions. I also recall him having the saying about getting old and getting smart on a wooden plaque that hung on the wall of their Emigration Canyon home.

All descendants of Ken and Melba Burnett should have access to this gem. There were many. Maybe someone can add to the list. Like "Too soon oldt, too late smardt."

Command Chief Master Sergeant Marva Harper of West Haven , Utah sent this to me a while back. She spoke at his funeral.

For the 419th Fighter Wing's Outstanding Airman of the year Banquet at Hill AFB in 1998, Marva invited a representative from past wars to attend. Their Commander had just returned from the 1st Gulf War. The asked me to represent Vietnam veterans, They had representatives from Korea and WW II. I asked Marva if they would like to invite a WW I vet. She was surprised one was alive. (By June of 2007 there were only four "WW I vets living. The last died in 2011 at the age of 110.) Ken Jr. brought his dad. He was the hit of the evening. Everyone wanted to have their picture taken with him. Ken recited this poem.

 click on photos to view full size images

 

Burnett entries in Early Mormon Missionary database

This database of LDS missionaries who served between 1830-1930 contains several dozen entries of people with the last name of Burnett who either served missions or were baptized by missionaries named Burnett.

https://history.lds.org/missionary/search?query=burnett

Links to other websites for Burnett family history

My intent is to update this page from time to time with hyperlinks to other websites containing information about Burnett family member events and history:

Kenneth William Burnett obituary
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/822089/Obituary-Kenneth-William-Burnett.html


Melba Beatrice Brewer Burnett obituary
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/359692/DEATH--MELBA-B-BURNETT.html?pg=all

Find-a-grave record for Melba Beatrice Brewer Burnett
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=46484899


Amy La Rue Burnett Wilde, memorial
https://familysearch.org/photos/stories/1399304

Obituary for David Brad Wilde (Amy LaRue Burnett's husband)
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/960985/Obituary-David-Brad-Wilde.html?pg=all

Obituary for Tamara Leigh Wilde Conway
http://azdailysun.com/news/local/obituaries/tamara-conway/article_2549e39d-05f1-53d9-829a-620e86c4321c.html

Leland Jay Housley funeral home tribute and condolence messages
http://restland.tributes.com/obituary/print/101467800

I have not been able to find any online reference to Byron William Burnett. Does anyone else have a copy of his birth or death certificate or even a photo of him as an adult?