Harold Burnett

Harold Morris Burnett died on April 21, 2020 at 91 years of age from symptoms of the Covid-19 virus. He was “born at home on the kitchen table” on August 10, 1928 in Amarillo, Texas to parents Henry Arnold Burnett and Ivory Ann Rogers Burnett.

Harold is survived by his wife of 66 years, Betty Jean Williams Burnett; son Brian Burnett and daughter-in-law, Celia Morrow Burnett; daughters Laurel Burnett and Ardyce Burnett. Harold was a devoted Granddad “Daddy-B” to Rachel Burnett Brunton and Brandon Burnett. He was an encouraging step-Granddad to Kelsey and Russell Sensenig. He was delighted to see his granddaughter marry Tom Brunton on 07-07-07. Harold experienced great joy at being able to meet his great-grandchildren Kyle, Liesl, and Malcolm Brunton and watch them grow to ages 8, 5, and 3, respectively. Harold is survived by his sister, Janie Sue Burnett Vincent and her husband, Bill Vincent of Indianapolis, and was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Air Force Colonel (Ret) Roy Paul Burnett. Harold had an avid interest in genealogy and researched the Burnett Family heritage that he proudly shared with nieces and nephews. Harold valued relationships of “Friends as Family” with Nancy and Dick Warnes (Betty and Harold met them in Los Alamos in 1958), Clark and Peg Morrow (Celia’s brother and sister-in-law), and Air Force Colonel (Ret) Jan Rauker (Betty and Harold first met Jan when she was stationed with Laurel at Kleine Brogel Air Base, Belgium, in 1985).

Harold often stated, “If anyone wants to know about my early years, all they need do is watch the Ken Burns documentary about The Dust Bowl.” Harold went to work at a young age to help earn additional money, selling candy punch cards and helping his Dad at the feed store.

Harold was a devoted student at all levels and he remained committed to the philosophy of  “lifelong learning.” He graduated from Amarillo High School and graduated with honors from the Amarillo Junior College two-year program. After hearing about the University of Texas from friends, he said, “I went home and asked Mother and Daddy to drive me to the bus station.” Harold went to the Registrar’s office at UT-Austin and stated, “I do not have a transcript, I do not have any money, but I want to attend school.” After learning about his Junior College coursework, Harold was told that he would be accepted into college. (His time at the University of Texas was a milestone life event, since he met fellow UT student and future-wife Betty. They married on May 22, 1953). Harold went on to earn a B.S in Chemistry in 1950. He later completed his Master’s thesis, “The Spectrophotometric Determination of Copper in Aluminum” in 1955.  He continued his education and completed his dissertation, “Applications of Time-Resolved Spectroscopy to Spectrochemical Analysis” to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy. Harold was grateful to point out one particular sentence in the dissertation: “This dissertation was typed by Betty W. Burnett.”

Harold had a dynamic professional career as a chemist, meteorologist, Air Force officer and small business owner.

Harold retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the United States Air Force Reserve after 6 years of active duty and 21 years of reserve duty serving as a meteorologist, chemist, and scientist. He maintained a steadfast interest in and connection to his military service throughout his life and valued participating in community events as a veteran.

Harold lived with Betty in Los Alamos, NM, for 34 years where he worked for 13 years with the national laboratory and then owned and operated an independent small business, “Ojo De Dios Bookstore.” He valued being involved with every aspect of “the book business,” with special interest in obtaining scientific, technical and professional books. Harold was often referred to as “Mr. Ojo,” and he exclaimed, “working as a small business owner and running the bookstore was the most satisfying job I ever had.”

Throughout his life, a strong Faith and participation in church community served as an enduring foundation. During his “growing-up years,” Harold attended the Baptist Church with his parents and siblings. He met Betty at the Baptist Student Union mixer at the University of Texas at Austin. Harold and his family were active members of the First United Methodist Church in Los Alamos, NM. He enjoyed participating in church events and serving as a Stephen Minister.

Throughout his adulthood, Harold was committed to serving as a volunteer within the community.  His many activities included Cubmaster, Pack Leader and Scout Master for the Boy Scouts of America; Los Alamos Library Board member; assisted the League of Women Voters with the annual Voter’s Guide; hosted exhibits and education fairs for Heifer International; served as a Science Adviser in the Public School System; prepared a training guide for the Chaplain volunteer program at UNM hospital; served as Treasurer for SouthWest Writers; and participated in many more events by “pitching in and lending a helping hand.”

In October 2018, Harold was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He bravely faced the changes in his health and the impact on his lifestyle. With supportive care giving from his family he continued to participate in favorite and familiar events such as attending the Veterans Day service at the NM Veterans Memorial and having new experiences such as visiting the Penguin Chill exhibit at the ABQ Bio Park Zoo.

The Burnett Family expresses heartfelt gratitude to the staff of La Vida Llena LifeCare Community for the devoted care they provided to Harold during the novel corona virus pandemic of 2020.  La Vida Llena was home for Harold and Betty for nine years and they valued meeting so many people from diverse walks of life. They especially enjoyed the delight of “small world stories,” after learning about shared events or situations where paths had crossed.

Throughout his life, Harold was a devoted Son, Brother, Husband, Dad, Uncle, Granddad, Great Granddad, Colleague, Volunteer and Friend.

Memorials may be made to Harold’s favorite charity, Heifer International, or a charity of your choice.