Burkett, Terry Bruce 1946-2015
BURKETT, GABEL, FANELLI, BARNHILL, SMITH, BARNARD
Posted By: Bruce E Atkinson (email)
Date: 11/27/2015 at 12:01:15
It is with sadness we announce the passing of Senior Chief Petty Officer (USN Ret.) Terry Bruce Burkett, beloved husband, father, uncle and Vietnam veteran, on Saturday, May 9, 2015.
Terry was born April 26, 1946, in Le Mars, the last of eight children born to Edith Carolyn Gabel and Lowell Bruce Burkett.
After graduation in 1964 from Cooper High School in Abilene Texas, Terry enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served his country proudly for 22 1/2 years. As a US Naval Air crewman, Terry was deployed to Vietnam in 1966, 1969 and 1970, flying Yankee Station and Operation Market Time patrols with squadrons VP-9 and VP-17. He logged over 6,000 flight hours in P-3 Orion Aircraft as a P-3 Air Crew Chief, including air operations searching for NVA troop movements and Antisubmarine Warfare.
He was awarded the Air Medals with Strike Flight Number "1." Additionally, he received two Navy Achievement Awards Medals, two Navy Unit Commendations, two Navy Meritorious Unit Commendations, the battle "E" Award, and five Good Conduct Awards, among others
Terry was a life member of VFW Post 3377 in Manchaca, Texas, serving as commander and quartermaster in past years. He was also a member of the Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans Austin Chapter and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 915, in Austin, Texas.
Terry led by example in all he did, providing inspiration, honesty and a sense of family to his wife, children, nieces and nephews, and fellow veterans.
In his 60s, he served on the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument executive committee for eight years, including chairing the Veterans Outreach Committee. Terry drove his pickup truck around the state of Texas, traveling hundreds and hundreds of miles to numerous veteran organizations to build support for and awareness of the monument.
He played a critical role in monitoring the casting and production phases of the monument to ensure the Deep in the Heart Art Foundry, in Bastrop, Texas, stayed on schedule during the critical design, sculpturing and development of the monument.
Terry also facilitated the critical relationship between the foundry and the State Preservation Board, making sure the committee was always in compliance, staying on top of the incredible number of details that came with constructing a monument on the state Capitol grounds.
On Dedication Day for the Monument, March 30, 2014, Terry addressed the crowd of 4,500 attendees, "My name is Terry B. Burkett and I am a proud Texas Vietnam Veteran," before unveiling this monument.
His family is forever grateful for his service to our country and for his efforts in honoring the service of others.
But to us, he was a man who loved to be teased as much as he loved to tease.
Terry was a great encourager of the dreams of his children and grandchildren, and he was there in times of trouble as well as to congratulate us on our victories.
He is survived by his wife, Karen Ayn Burkett; four children: Christopher Leigh Burkett, Kelly Ann Fanelli, Jeffrey Allen Burkett, and Lowell David Burkett; four stepchildren, Franklin James Bar¬nard, Charles Michael Barnard, Douglas Gene Moore, and Samantha Kay Graham; 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; his sister, Marge Barnhill, of Abilene, Texas, and Linda Smith, of Athens, Ga., as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and five siblings.
A graveside service with U.S. Navy honors will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 7457 West Lake Road, Abilene, Texas, under the direction of Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail, Austin, Texas.
A memorial service will be at the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument on the northeast side of the Capitol grounds in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, May 16. Family and friends are invited to gather at 6:30 p.m., with a short service to be held at 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in Terry's name to the Austin Dog Alliance, Hounds for Heroes.
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Le Mars Daily Sentinel (Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa) of 11 May 2015.
Plymouth Obituaries maintained by Linda Ziemann.
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