Patrick J. Burnett, 62
Patrick J. Burnett, 62, a Sitka fisherman, passed away July 12, 2018, while being treated for cancer at the University of Washington Medical Center.
The family plans to hold a celebration of his life next summer.
Pat was born Sept. 8, 1955, in Renton, Wash., the son of Don and Donna (Pendleton) Burnett.
The family came to Sitka in 1976, and Pat graduated from Sitka High School in 1973.
After attending automotive diesel school in Denver, Colo., Pat decided Sitka was where he wanted to be.
In 1976, he married Rosemary Barden, the “neighbor girl” who lived a couple of blocks away. The two had 42 wonderful years together.
In his younger years, Pat was in the auto repair business with his dad at Don’s Body Shop. He later bought the business from his father and renamed it Baranof Body & Paint.
At the time of his death Pat was a commercial fisherman. He had been employed at Murray Pacific for 22 years and on his retirement in 2015, the business ran an ad with a poem alerting his customers that he would be leaving. It read, in part, “He will be missed by all as he starts his new jig, his smile flashing as he fishes his new rig. One thing you can say, ‘He is a rich man for sure.’ Fellow employees, customers and friends will for years speak of his lore. ...”
Pat also was a volunteer firefighter, from 1975 to 1981, working his way up to the rank of lieutenant.
Pat loved the Alaskan lifestyle, catching those fish, hunting, camping, smoking fish, being Captain “Smed,” enjoying the ocean waves and salty air.
He also loved sports, and was a big fan of the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks – he proudly wore his Mariners jacket, no matter what.
He enjoyed working on cars with his brother and dad, and took part in the Demolition Derby.
He liked visiting family, talking on the porch, telling the latest gossip, talking about where the last fish was caught. There were the never-ending Sven and Oly jokes, and giving the best “fishermen’s advice” at Murray Pacific.
Pat was preceded in death by his grandparents, Imogene and Worley Burnett; his brother, Nick Burnett; and a nephew, Kirby Gordon Reid.
He is survived by his wife, Rosemary Burnett of Sitka; two sons, Rick Burnett and wife Tyree Burnett of Kelso, Wash., and Rob Burnett of Vancouver, Wash.; granddaughter Rochelle Burnett of Kelso; and grandsons Bryce Burnett and Landon Burnett, both of Longview, Wash.
His parents, Don and Donna Burnett of Longview, and his sisters, (Darby) Shannon Reid and Colleen Lawyer, both of Belfair, Wash.; nephew Jobe Lawyer of Stanwood, Wash.; nieces Marcia (Burnett) Wilcox of Tacoma, and Kayla Reid of Belfair; and numerous in-laws in Washington and Idaho also survive.
His family expressed “a big, huge thank you” to Sitka for all the well wishes and support. “Pat loved living here.”
Pat Burnett on deck of Sea Quest
