Lemuel Thomas Burnett, 74, passed away Sept. 2, 2012, at his home in Kanab, Utah. Born May 30, 1938, in Eldorado, Okla., to George Edward and Ethel Clementine Easley Burnett. They plowed their fields with horses, had no electricity, no running water and milked their cows by hand. They lived on what they raised. It was there that he developed a love and closeness to animals that remained with him all his life. They moved to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas when Lemuel was 10 years old.
He spent four years in the Air Force as an airborne communication liaison, and navigational equipment repairman. He was married to Leah Palmer for 25 years and they had seven children together. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965 while living in Houston, Texas, and he gained a very strong testimony of the gospel right away. He moved his family to Utah to be with the saints and lived in Trenton, Lewiston and Cove, Utah.
After his divorce Lemuel married Connie Lynn Warburton in 1982 in Salt Lake City and they had two children. Together they built a log home in Cove, Utah. He worked at Presto Products for 23 years as a maintenance/capital construction supervisor over the electrical, mechanical, extrusion, buildings and grounds divisions. He retired from Presto in 1995 to embark upon a lifelong dream to raise and be with animals. Lemuel has always loved animals, and raised many different breeds including buffalo, yaks, camel, wolf, watusi, water buffalo, llamas, ostriches, several breeds of fowl, pigs, deer, Texas long horns, sheep, goats, cows, zebras and horses.
He started Grandpa Lem's Animal Farm so everyone could come and enjoy the animals like he did. He loved teaching children about the animals. With many tears, the animals were sold and due to health problems they moved to Kanab, Utah, in 2004 to "retire" in the beautiful, warm southern Utah.
But retirement didn't come easy for Lemuel. He continued to fill his time with many projects from dusk to dawn. He was always a hard worker, and as long as he was able, he kept on working. Connie has spent 30 years of her life supporting and helping Lemuel 100 percent in fulfilling his dreams.
Lemuel was preceded in death by one child, Benjamin Burnett; two grandchildren, Amberly Sorensen and Hope Alderman; and his brother Charles Burnett. Survivors include wife Connie of Kanab; children Larry (Jill) Burnett of Mesa, Ariz., Lisa (Steve) Pierson of Springville, Utah, Leslie (Greg) Wilson of Rexburg, Idaho, Laura (Greg) Dye of Springville, Utah, Lawson (Kelly) Burnett of Roy, Utah, Loreen (Todd) Coons of Gilbert, Ariz., Lana (Aaron) Sorensen of Riverton, Wyo., and Melanie (Benjamin) Alderman of Kanab, Utah. He has 33 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Serving as a stake missionary for many years he taught the gospel to a large number of people. Lemuel was a very friendly, outgoing man to everyone he met and loved smiling at them and shaking their hands. Even when he was struggling with many health problems towards the end of his life, he was always smiling.
Lemuel had a clear knowledge that Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the church is true. He was always grateful that Heavenly Father blessed him with the opportunity of living in America and doing what he enjoyed so much - being with animals, people, friends, the land and thousands of kids that called him Grandpa Lem.
A viewing will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, at the Kanab South LDS Church. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. in the same location. Burial with military honors will be held in the Kanab Cemetery. Arrangements were made with Mosdell Mortuary.
The family invites those with memories of Grandpa Lem to send them to grand [email protected].
Published in Logan Herald Journal from September 6 to September 20, 2012
He spent four years in the Air Force as an airborne communication liaison, and navigational equipment repairman. He was married to Leah Palmer for 25 years and they had seven children together. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965 while living in Houston, Texas, and he gained a very strong testimony of the gospel right away. He moved his family to Utah to be with the saints and lived in Trenton, Lewiston and Cove, Utah.
After his divorce Lemuel married Connie Lynn Warburton in 1982 in Salt Lake City and they had two children. Together they built a log home in Cove, Utah. He worked at Presto Products for 23 years as a maintenance/capital construction supervisor over the electrical, mechanical, extrusion, buildings and grounds divisions. He retired from Presto in 1995 to embark upon a lifelong dream to raise and be with animals. Lemuel has always loved animals, and raised many different breeds including buffalo, yaks, camel, wolf, watusi, water buffalo, llamas, ostriches, several breeds of fowl, pigs, deer, Texas long horns, sheep, goats, cows, zebras and horses.
He started Grandpa Lem's Animal Farm so everyone could come and enjoy the animals like he did. He loved teaching children about the animals. With many tears, the animals were sold and due to health problems they moved to Kanab, Utah, in 2004 to "retire" in the beautiful, warm southern Utah.
But retirement didn't come easy for Lemuel. He continued to fill his time with many projects from dusk to dawn. He was always a hard worker, and as long as he was able, he kept on working. Connie has spent 30 years of her life supporting and helping Lemuel 100 percent in fulfilling his dreams.
Lemuel was preceded in death by one child, Benjamin Burnett; two grandchildren, Amberly Sorensen and Hope Alderman; and his brother Charles Burnett. Survivors include wife Connie of Kanab; children Larry (Jill) Burnett of Mesa, Ariz., Lisa (Steve) Pierson of Springville, Utah, Leslie (Greg) Wilson of Rexburg, Idaho, Laura (Greg) Dye of Springville, Utah, Lawson (Kelly) Burnett of Roy, Utah, Loreen (Todd) Coons of Gilbert, Ariz., Lana (Aaron) Sorensen of Riverton, Wyo., and Melanie (Benjamin) Alderman of Kanab, Utah. He has 33 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Serving as a stake missionary for many years he taught the gospel to a large number of people. Lemuel was a very friendly, outgoing man to everyone he met and loved smiling at them and shaking their hands. Even when he was struggling with many health problems towards the end of his life, he was always smiling.
Lemuel had a clear knowledge that Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the church is true. He was always grateful that Heavenly Father blessed him with the opportunity of living in America and doing what he enjoyed so much - being with animals, people, friends, the land and thousands of kids that called him Grandpa Lem.
A viewing will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, at the Kanab South LDS Church. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. in the same location. Burial with military honors will be held in the Kanab Cemetery. Arrangements were made with Mosdell Mortuary.
The family invites those with memories of Grandpa Lem to send them to grand [email protected].
Published in Logan Herald Journal from September 6 to September 20, 2012
Lemuel Thomas Burnett, 74, passed away Sept. 2, 2012, at his home in Kanab, Utah. Born May 30, 1938, in Eldorado, Okla., to George Edward and Ethel Clementine Easley Burnett. They plowed their fields with horses, had no electricity, no running water and milked their cows by hand. They lived on what they raised. It was there that he developed a love and closeness to animals that remained with him all his life. They moved to the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas when Lemuel was 10 years old.
He spent four years in the Air Force as an airborne communication liaison, and navigational equipment repairman. He was married to Leah Palmer for 25 years and they had seven children together. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965 while living in Houston, Texas, and he gained a very strong testimony of the gospel right away. He moved his family to Utah to be with the saints and lived in Trenton, Lewiston and Cove, Utah.
After his divorce Lemuel married Connie Lynn Warburton in 1982 in Salt Lake City and they had two children. Together they built a log home in Cove, Utah. He worked at Presto Products for 23 years as a maintenance/capital construction supervisor over the electrical, mechanical, extrusion, buildings and grounds divisions. He retired from Presto in 1995 to embark upon a lifelong dream to raise and be with animals. Lemuel has always loved animals, and raised many different breeds including buffalo, yaks, camel, wolf, watusi, water buffalo, llamas, ostriches, several breeds of fowl, pigs, deer, Texas long horns, sheep, goats, cows, zebras and horses.
He started Grandpa Lem's Animal Farm so everyone could come and enjoy the animals like he did. He loved teaching children about the animals. With many tears, the animals were sold and due to health problems they moved to Kanab, Utah, in 2004 to "retire" in the beautiful, warm southern Utah.
But retirement didn't come easy for Lemuel. He continued to fill his time with many projects from dusk to dawn. He was always a hard worker, and as long as he was able, he kept on working. Connie has spent 30 years of her life supporting and helping Lemuel 100 percent in fulfilling his dreams.
Lemuel was preceded in death by one child, Benjamin Burnett; two grandchildren, Amberly Sorensen and Hope Alderman; and his brother Charles Burnett. Survivors include wife Connie of Kanab; children Larry (Jill) Burnett of Mesa, Ariz., Lisa (Steve) Pierson of Springville, Utah, Leslie (Greg) Wilson of Rexburg, Idaho, Laura (Greg) Dye of Springville, Utah, Lawson (Kelly) Burnett of Roy, Utah, Loreen (Todd) Coons of Gilbert, Ariz., Lana (Aaron) Sorensen of Riverton, Wyo., and Melanie (Benjamin) Alderman of Kanab, Utah. He has 33 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Serving as a stake missionary for many years he taught the gospel to a large number of people. Lemuel was a very friendly, outgoing man to everyone he met and loved smiling at them and shaking their hands. Even when he was struggling with many health problems towards the end of his life, he was always smiling.
Lemuel had a clear knowledge that Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the church is true. He was always grateful that Heavenly Father blessed him with the opportunity of living in America and doing what he enjoyed so much - being with animals, people, friends, the land and thousands of kids that called him Grandpa Lem.
A viewing will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, at the Kanab South LDS Church. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. in the same location. Burial with military honors will be held in the Kanab Cemetery. Arrangements were made with Mosdell Mortuary.
The family invites those with memories of Grandpa Lem to send them to grand [email protected].
Published in Logan Herald Journal from September 6 to September 20, 2012
He spent four years in the Air Force as an airborne communication liaison, and navigational equipment repairman. He was married to Leah Palmer for 25 years and they had seven children together. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965 while living in Houston, Texas, and he gained a very strong testimony of the gospel right away. He moved his family to Utah to be with the saints and lived in Trenton, Lewiston and Cove, Utah.
After his divorce Lemuel married Connie Lynn Warburton in 1982 in Salt Lake City and they had two children. Together they built a log home in Cove, Utah. He worked at Presto Products for 23 years as a maintenance/capital construction supervisor over the electrical, mechanical, extrusion, buildings and grounds divisions. He retired from Presto in 1995 to embark upon a lifelong dream to raise and be with animals. Lemuel has always loved animals, and raised many different breeds including buffalo, yaks, camel, wolf, watusi, water buffalo, llamas, ostriches, several breeds of fowl, pigs, deer, Texas long horns, sheep, goats, cows, zebras and horses.
He started Grandpa Lem's Animal Farm so everyone could come and enjoy the animals like he did. He loved teaching children about the animals. With many tears, the animals were sold and due to health problems they moved to Kanab, Utah, in 2004 to "retire" in the beautiful, warm southern Utah.
But retirement didn't come easy for Lemuel. He continued to fill his time with many projects from dusk to dawn. He was always a hard worker, and as long as he was able, he kept on working. Connie has spent 30 years of her life supporting and helping Lemuel 100 percent in fulfilling his dreams.
Lemuel was preceded in death by one child, Benjamin Burnett; two grandchildren, Amberly Sorensen and Hope Alderman; and his brother Charles Burnett. Survivors include wife Connie of Kanab; children Larry (Jill) Burnett of Mesa, Ariz., Lisa (Steve) Pierson of Springville, Utah, Leslie (Greg) Wilson of Rexburg, Idaho, Laura (Greg) Dye of Springville, Utah, Lawson (Kelly) Burnett of Roy, Utah, Loreen (Todd) Coons of Gilbert, Ariz., Lana (Aaron) Sorensen of Riverton, Wyo., and Melanie (Benjamin) Alderman of Kanab, Utah. He has 33 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Serving as a stake missionary for many years he taught the gospel to a large number of people. Lemuel was a very friendly, outgoing man to everyone he met and loved smiling at them and shaking their hands. Even when he was struggling with many health problems towards the end of his life, he was always smiling.
Lemuel had a clear knowledge that Heavenly Father lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that the church is true. He was always grateful that Heavenly Father blessed him with the opportunity of living in America and doing what he enjoyed so much - being with animals, people, friends, the land and thousands of kids that called him Grandpa Lem.
A viewing will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012, at the Kanab South LDS Church. The funeral will follow at 1 p.m. in the same location. Burial with military honors will be held in the Kanab Cemetery. Arrangements were made with Mosdell Mortuary.
The family invites those with memories of Grandpa Lem to send them to grand [email protected].
Published in Logan Herald Journal from September 6 to September 20, 2012
