Obituary of Willie D. Burnett

Willie D. Burnett, 76, of Benton Harbor, went to be with his lord and savior early Sunday morning on November 18, 2012. Willie was born on January 21, 1936 to James Luster and Annie Mae Burnett in Tiptonville, Tennessee. He accepted Christ and was baptized at the Saint Paul Baptist Missionary Church in Benton Harbor, Michigan under the leadership of Reverend Elbert Brown. As a young man, Willie enjoyed playing numerous sports. He played and supported baseball and softball in several local leagues throughout his life. Willie was also a member of the Benton Harbor Golden Gloves Boxing program where he won numerous trophies in city and statewide tournaments. He graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1956 and then joined the United States Marine Corps where he continued to box while stationed at bases in California, Japan, and Korea. After completing his military service, he returned to Benton Harbor where he met and married his loving wife Mary Parker. To this union was born two sons. Willie was employed by Superior Steel and also worked at Clark Equipment Company for over 18 years. He worked at several neighborhood stores including Angelos, Rosies, and finally Simmons Supermarket. Willie eventually purchased the Simmons store renaming it Burnett's Supermarket. He enjoyed meeting and greeting all his customers. He was especially fond of all the neighborhood kids, earning the nick name " Mr. B" or "Curley" to name a few. Willie and Mary operated the supermarket successfully for over 21 years before retiring in 2001. Willie is preceded in death by his parents, siblings Mary Burton, Earline Tipton, Fannie Holloway, Freddie Lee, Cora Vinson and Betty Williams. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary; sons Michael (Javonna) Burnett of Battle Creek, Michigan, Anthony Woods of Long Beach, California and Daryl (Anthonette) Burnett of Benton Harbor, brothers Ernest Lee of Detroit, Michigan , James Burnett of Detroit, Michigan and Tom Burnett of Kalamazoo, Michigan, 14 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and other family members. Services to honor Willie's life will be held on Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church located at 130 Urbandale Avenue; Benton Harbor, MI 49022 with a time of visitation starting at 10:00 a.m. Memorial donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Alzheimer's Association located at PO Box 96011 Washington, DC 20090. Those wishing to upload a photo of Willie or leave a message of condolence to the family may do so here on our website or on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BrownFuneralHomeNiles.