Obituary of William E. "Bill" Burnette

<b>Obituary</b> William E. "Bill" Burnette, 65, of Versailles, Kentucky, died Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at the St. Joseph Hospice Care Center in Lexington, Kentucky after a long battle with kidney cancer. Bill was born in Martin, Tennessee, but grew up in Fulton, Kentucky. As a boy in Fulton, he spent much of his time on his family's farm and earned many awards showing dairy cattle at 4-H events and at the Kentucky State Fair. In high school, Bill excelled in sports and eventually earned a football scholarship to the University of Kentucky, where he played as a freshman. In 1966, Bill graduated from Murray State University with a Bachelor of Science in History and Agriculture. In 1967, he earned a Master's Degree from Murray in Education. After earning his Master's Degree, Bill stayed at Murray to direct the University's Special Collections Division where, for four years, he supervised the University's collection, collation and cataloging of primary research materials. After leaving Murray, Bill dedicated the remainder of his professional career to serving the Commonwealth he loved so dearly. Of note, in 1973, he was appointed Executive Director of the Governor's Council on Agriculture where he served for two years. In 1977, President Carter appointed him State Director of the Farmer's Home Administration where he served until 1981. In the 1970's, Bill also briefly served as Deputy Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. In the 1990's, he returned to the Department where he served many years as Director of the Office of Environmental Outreach. As head of this office, Bill oversaw the development of a new program (PACE) to obtain conservation easements to preserve Kentucky farmland and prevent its development for other uses. In addition to his 32 years of public service, Bill was a loving husband, a loving father and grandfather, a passionate Kentucky fan, an avid golfer, and a great friend whose strength and love of life was exhibited by his ability to fight such an aggressive and terrible disease for two and a half years. He is survived by his wife and "love of his life", Connie (Kelly) Burnette; by his son and daughter-in-law, William Brian and Amy Burnette of New Albany, Indiana, as well as their two children, Jill Nicole and William Edward (Teddy); by his sister and brother-in-law, Ruth Ann and Fred Fahl of Fulton, Kentucky; by his sister-in-law, Jane Burnette, of Mayfield, Kentucky, as well as six nieces and their families. He is preceded in death by his parents, W.P. "Dub" and Corinne Burnette; his sister, Jean C. Burnette; and his brother, George E. Burnette. <b>Funeral Information</b> Visitation will be on Friday, September 18 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Clark Legacy Center. Funeral Service will be on Saturday, September 19 at 9:00 a.m. at the Clark Legacy Center, with burial at the Rose Crest Cemetery in Versailles, Kentucky.