RICHARD "CARL" BURNETT

Richard "Carl" Burnett passed away suddenly of heart failure on the evening of Monday, Oct. 15, 2001, in Anchorage. He was 63 years old.

Richard Burnett, better known as Carl, was born in Ketchikan and lived in Kodiak with his older brother, younger sister, mother and father, who was in the Coast Guard.

They later moved to Anchorage, where he attended public school, and at the age of 8 or 9 landed his first job, selling the Anchorage Times paper downtown on 4th Avenue.

The growing family later moved to Palmer, where Mr. Burnett went to work in the potato fields. At age 15, he and his cousin, Sonny Edmonds, learned to fly planes, which became one of Mr. Burnett's lifelong passions.

Being the independent type, Mr. Burnett left home at the age of 16 and went to work running heavy equipment at Jonesville Coal Mine at Alpine, and later, the Usibelli Mine in Healy, at which time he was president of the Local Coalminer's Union. Having started a family of his own, Mr. Burnett and a coworker, Bing Ringstad, bought some land and built the Black Diamond Coal Mine.

In the 1960s, Mr. Burnett and his family moved to Anchorage, where he was on the board of directors of Koniag Region Inc. Since then, he has started numerous businesses of his own, including a cab company, towing service and construction business. He was a member of the Chugiak Native Association and labor administrator for Fluor on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.

He has lived in Valdez, New Zealand, Willow, and, most recently, Houston, where he and his wife, Rosemary, owned the Houston Lodge. Mr. Burnett had recently been elected to Houston City Council Seat F.

Mr. Burnett is survived by his wife, Rosemary; daughters, Kimberly Burnett and two children, and Sabrina Burnett, her fiancŽ and daughter; sons, Richard Burnett, his wife, Carol, daughter, Maryann, and one grandchild, Peter Burnett, his wife, Natalie, and two daughters, Norman Burnett, and his daughter, Glenn Burnett and his fiancŽe, Richard Johnson, his wife, Karrol, and four children, and Lawrence Hillman, his wife, Melissa, and one son; sisters, LeIlia Catherine "Tootsie" Dugan, Sallyann May Watsjold, and husband, Stanley, and Elizabeth G. Mingo and her husband, Richard; and good friend Larry Hall. Mr. Burnett had 12 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mr. Burnett's parents, Richard Glenn and Sigrid Katherine Burnett; older brother, Richard Glenn Burnett Jr.; and good friend, George "Papa" Heritose, preceded him in death.

His family wrote: "Carl was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He lived a full and exciting life filled with adventure and excitement, with flying, watching the races with his grandchildren, and a good cigar being some of his favorite pastimes. He is greatly missed."

Services were held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church,1201 Bogard Road, in Wasilla, on Monday, Oct. 22, with visitation at the same location beforehand.

A private service at Valley Memorial Park immediately followed, as well as a celebration of life at Houston Lodge, Houston, Mile 57.8 Parks Hwy. Memorial contributions may be sent to the family at P.O. Box 940047, Houston, AK 99645.