William "Bill" Burnett
Marriages
Virginia R. "Davey" Burnett - August 9, 1941
in Salida, Colorado.
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 14 - June 19, 2008
Same as Vail Daily.
Vail Daily page A2 - June 17, 2008
MINTURN — To hear the life story of Bill Burnett, who died Friday, June 13 at the age of 87, is really to hear the life story of Minturn.
Burnett was born in 1920 in Minturn — when the town was still home to legions of miners and railroad workers — and lived there almost his entire life. He worked as a miner in Gilman as a young man, founded Burnett Heating, Plumbing and Electrical in the 1960s when Vail was making its name as a ski resort, and served numerous terms on the Minturn Town Council beginning in 1948.
He was a vital part of Minturn’s history and helped keep the past alive through his books, “Minturn, a Memoir” and “The Eagle on Battle Mountain at Gilman, Colorado and My Life as I Remember.”
“He recognized the value of the history of the town. He put it down on paper and gave it to the people,” Michael Gallagher, who once served as the town’s police chief, said.
Burnett was a dedicated public servant, someone who believed the government existed solely to serve the people, said Minturn Mayor Hawkeye Flaherty. His extensive knowledge of the town and its history was a welcome and appreciated voice on the Town Council, Flaherty said.
Burnett was most recently elected to the council in 1998 and resigned from the council June 4 of this year. Burnett also had served as a volunteer firefighter, was a founding board member of the Eagle Valley Library District and was a justice of the peace.
“He had a great memory about everything that happened in town, how it got started, how it happened, the process it went through,” Flaherty said. “Also, if he didn’t agree with you, he’d let you know. He had backbone. He worked to serve the people.”
Tim Pierson, a grandson, said his favorite memories of his grandfather were days spent playing cards, board games, dominoes or fishing. He was definitely an impressive man, Pierson said, someone who obviously had seen and experienced a lot in his life, but he always seemed to be most interested in the present, what was going on with his family.
“He would talk about the old days if you invited a conversation, but he was very caught up in the moment, too. What you were doing right then was very special to him,” Pierson said.
Gallagher said Burnett was an extremely helpful man, whether it was through one of his roles as a public servant, or just someone helping the average Joe out.
“Minturn was paying their cops pretty cheap back in the 70s, and when my hot water heater had blown, he made sure I had a new one at a price I could afford, because that was the right thing to do,” Gallagher said.
Burnett was incapable of saying “no” to the fire department and was always donating his time and services, Gallagher said.
“I think he’ll be remembered for his kindness and willingness to give himself to the town,” Gallagher said.
Staff Writer Matt Terrell can be reached at 970-748-2955 or mterrell@vaildaily.com.
Vail Daily page A2 - June 17, 2008
MINTURN, Colorado — Lifelong Minturn resident William “Bill” Burnett passed away surrounded by his loving family Friday night.
Bill lived to the age of 87 and along side his wife Davey, they were able to enjoy five generations of their legacy. Bill was a loving husband, father, grandpa, great-grandpa, and great-great-grandpa.
He is a World War II veteran, miner, master plumber and electrician, business owner, civil servant, local historian-author, fisherman, and much more.
Bill was born into a railroading family, on Dec. 19, 1920, in Minturn to Dodd and Catherine Burnett. He grew up in Minturn where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping in the outdoors.
At Minturn High School Bill enjoyed playing basketball and was a member of a state qualifying Minturn track team where he competed in the 880-yard race. Bill graduated from Minturn in 1938 and went to work for the New Jersey Zinc Company in Gilman.
He married Virginia “Davey” in 1941 after she finished high school. The couple had two daughters, Billie Jean and Terrel Ann, who both reside in Minturn today. Shortly after the birth of their second daughter, Bill was drafted into the Army in 1944. During World War II, he served his country as an army infantryman in the Philippines.
In 1946 Bill returned to Minturn and again worked in the mill at New Jersey Zinc Company. Soon he became a shift boss and also learned to weld. Through correspondence classes, he became a master plumber and electrician.
In 1956 Bill started his own company where he worked on the reconstruction at Camp Hale and several jobs in Leadville, Glenwood Springs and even Steamboat Springs.
In the 1960s with the start of Vail, Burnett Plumbing Heating and Electrical took off. Most of the older buildings in Vail have Burnett’s sticker on it. Burnett Plumbing maintained the Bass house where Vice President Gerald Ford resided on Mill Creek Circle in Vail, and then President Ford’s new house in Beaver Creek.
Bill served various terms on the Minturn Town Council, served as justice of the peace, and on the Minturn Volunteer Fire Department. Bill Burnett retired from Plumbing and Electrical work in 1985, selling the business to his son-in-law James Lovato.
During retirement Bill and Davey Burnett spent their summers camping, fishing, and playing cards at Steamboat Lake and enjoying the company of family and friends. He always sported his hat and a sweater or jacket. He whistled to no particular tune (much to Davey’s dismay) while he worked or did his “tilly” chores.
He was always thinking and inventing. Bill Burnett was on the founding board of the Eagle Valley Library District and became a member of the historical society of Eagle County.
Bill published two books, “The Eagle on Battle Mountain at Gilman, Colorado and “My Life As I Remember,” in which he talks about the New Jersey Zinc Company in Gilman, and his second book, “Minturn, a Memoir,” where he talks about the history and people of Minturn.
Bill Burnett was preceded in death by his parents; his sister Bernie Moore and her husband Howard; his brother, Pete Burnett; and son-in-law Victor Pierson.
Bill Burnett is survived by his wife of 67 years, Davey; sister-in-law Ella Burnett; daughters Billie Jean and husband Jim Lovato, and Terry Pierson; grandchildren Jim Lovato JR and wife Bel, Mike Lovato and wife Darlene, Cindy Marquez and husband Mario, Kellie Bashor and husband Patrick, Tim Pierson and wife Tabitha, and Debbie O’Neil and husband Charles; great-grandchildren Julie Ornelas and husband Jason, Jon Lovato, Sonia Valdez and husband Duane, Mike Lovato JR and wife Kaeley, Ben Pereida and wife Raeann, Jessica Pereida, Jake Fresquez, Carla Marquez, and Carter Bashor; great-great-grandchildren Mika and Phillip Lovato, Michael Jay Lovato, Kyle, Donnie, Yasmin, Justyne, Benny Ray and Rosanna Pereida, and Tristan Fresquez.
Memorial Services will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, at the Eagle River Presbyterian Church, 455 Nottingham Ranch Road, in Avon. Burial will follow immediately at the River View Cemetery in Minturn.
A reception celebrating the life of Bill will be held at the Minturn Town Center, 302 Pine Street, following the burial.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Bill Burnett’s name can be made to the Eagle Valley Library District, P.O. Box 977 Avon, CO, 81620, the Minturn Senior Citizens, or any other charity of your choice.
Vail Daily page A20 - June 13, 2008
The Bill Burnett family would like to thank everyone who called, visited, sent cards and otherwise gave their sympathy and well-wishes to the family. Your love and support are greatly appreciated. -- The Bill Burnett Family
