Obituary

Carl Lejuene Burnett

November 16, 1933 - November 27, 2021

On Saturday, November 27, 2021, Carlisle Lejuene Burnett, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away at the age of 88 in Covington, Louisiana. His wife of 35 years, Hazel, was by his side.

Carl was born on November 16, 1933 in Williamsburg, Kentucky to Lucy and Sid Burnett. Carl had a happy and colorful childhood in Kentucky working his newspaper route and helping Lucy run the boarding house, pool hall and dining hall. Carl was a raconteur and as he grew older, many of these memories found their way into the stories he loved to tell.

Carl served in the Air Force at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS where he met his first wife, Shirley Thomason. After the birth of their two children, Jim and Sheila, and his departure from the military, Carl and his family moved to Dallas where he worked to revolutionize reimbursement for mental health services at Timberlawn Hospital. With a desire to be closer to family, they moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he joined a family business with his brother-in-law. After many years of work experience, he finished his degree at LSU and in 1975 received a BA in Business Administration. He then found success in the insurance industry and worked in this field until his retirement.

Carl was a kind and generous man whose passion for life showed up in all that he did. To Carl, no one was a stranger. He loved to meet new people and learn their family history. Carl also had an incredible memory and in his many stories could recall countless facts about world events, business, history and politics. He was a huge sports fan and spent many weekends watching games (on a slow sports day he might even watch women’s tennis, bowling or corn hole!), but his two favorites were Kentucky anything and LSU football.

Carl is survived by his wife, Hazel, his two children, Jim and Sheila, his beloved grandchildren, Cameron and Kendall, and his nephews, Robert and John. Carl is reunited with his parents, old friends, sister and other relations who preceded him in death. His stories will no doubt entertain them for eternity.

A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, December 4, 2021 at Centenary Methodist Church in Franklinton, Louisiana, 1015 Cleveland Street. Visitation with family at 12:30, service at 1:30, reception following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/