Lu Nell Burnett, 89 years old and a resident of Fayetteville, Ark., died Sunday, November 6, 2022, in Springdale, Ark. Lu Nell was born February 18, 1933, in Mountainburg, Ark., to John Quincy Carson Jr. and Mildred Louise (Satterfield) Carson.
Lu Nell's mother died in 1935 when Lu Nell was two years old. In 1941 her dad joined the Navy and served in the Seabees in the Pacific theater through 1945. Johnny died in 1970. Lu Nell and her brother, Tyrol Quincy Carson nicknamed QN and Kit over the years, were raised by their grandfather, John Q. Carson Sr., known to the family as "Pa". Pa died in 1954 and QN passed in 1998.
Lu Nell entered the workforce at 12 years old. She started as kitchen help at the Boston Mountain Lodge near Mount Gaylor between Fayetteville and Fort Smith on Old Highway 71. This was a busy place at the time, with lots of traffic for Camp Chaffee passing through. She began baking pies for the lodge- one of their specialties- and was known for her pies all her life. When she and Pat, her future husband, began dating he would come to the lodge and watch her work- and eat pecans, an ingredient used for many of her pies. She attended school in Mountainburg and played basketball in her high school years. Pat liked to tease her about her shots "rattling the backboards".
On February 2, 1951, Lu Nell was united in marriage to Pat H. Burnett II. They were married 61 years before Pat passed in 2012.
Immediately after their marriage, Pat and Lu Nell moved to Memphis, Tenn., for him to attend a lumber school. They returned to Fayetteville upon completion of his course. In 1954 Pat was drafted into the US Army. They were stationed at Camp Chafee for a short time and then sent to Fort Hood in Texas. In 1956, they came back to Northwest Arkansas and stayed here the rest of their years.
She is survived by her three children: Patty and husband James Sanders of Berryville, Ark., Mike Burnett of Springdale, Ark., and Debbie and husband Steve Scoggin of Fayetteville, Ark. She enjoyed two grandchildren and their spouses: Ty and Lexi Sanders of Elkins, Ark., and Jenna and Carl Little of Tulsa, Okla. The highlight of her last years was having great-grandchildren, Isabella "Izzie" Hogue of Fayetteville, Ark., and Jackson "The Jazz" Sanders of Elkins, Ark. Lu Nell is also survived by one sister, Cheryl (Carson) Ford-Bone, and her husband Rocky Bone of Bentonville, Ark., along with a nephew, Terry Carson, and niece Pam (Carson) Smith, and many other relatives and friends.
She was a Christian of the Baptist denomination serving faithfully by teaching Sunday School classes and working in the summer Vacation Bible Schools. Lu Nell served as a room mother at school for her children throughout the years, as well as a volunteer Brownie and Girl Scout troop leader and a Cub Scout den mother. Loyal and devoted fans of the Arkansas Razorbacks, she and Pat purchased season tickets for football, basketball, and baseball games through the years.
Her family was her life, and she taught us well to love and be loved. She is already missed dearly.
Visitation will take place Wednesday, November 9, 2022, from 5-7 p.m., at Moore's Chapel in Fayetteville. Graveside Service will be held Thursday, November 10, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., at National Cemetery in Fayetteville, Ark., under the direction of Moore's Chapel.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Gideons, International, and/or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in her name. Lu Nell was a generous supporter of both organizations.
To sign the online guestbook please visit www.bernafuneralhomes.com

Published November 8, 2022