And Then There Was Me

I wrote this preface for the biography of my dad, Lemuel Burnett. I titled his book, "And Then There Was Me," quoting him from a brief life sketch he wrote about himself.

I am shown here (on the right), with my dad and my sister, Lana.

My dad—what a guy! He stood about 5’ 5 1/2” and had a bald head, a scratchy face, and one crooked tooth. He wore cowboy boots and sagging pants held up by his belt. On Sundays, he usually wore bolo ties to church. Like any “manly man,” he always carried a knife in his pocket and used it regularly to take care of any need that arose, even if that need was trimming his fingernails during sacrament meeting.

Everyone who knew Dad recognized the familiar way he kind of slowly said, “Howdy!” with the southern drawl he got from growing up in Oklahoma and Texas, waving his hand—not back-and-forth, but twisting his wrist so his hand went from side-to-side. When we were children, his high-pitched whistle called us in from wherever we were, and we were quick to obey when we heard it! And none of us could forget the way he sang If I Were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof, with his hands in the air, strutting around and shaking his hips just like Tevye. Come to think of it, those two men had several things in common, including a lot of daughters and not a lot of money. For the most part, Dad was a no-nonsense, get-it-done type of guy, but he could also “chew the fat” with the best of them.

I enjoy writing biographies and have completed several, but I didn’t think I had enough material to write Dad’s history. Obviously I was wrong since you are reading it right now, and I’ll tell you how this book came about.

In July 2020, Melanie texted me and Lawson asking for pictures of Dad. She wanted to help Joanna and Thomas (her children) get to know their grandpa, Lemuel, who passed away in 2012. Lawson and I sent Melanie lots of pictures, then Melanie and I started gathering documents Dad had written over the years. We found the following:

• Dad kept a journal during his teenage years in Raymondville, Texas during 1955 and 1956. We were pretty impressed since not many teenage boys write in a journal.

• He wrote his personal history up to about 1965.

• He told the story of his conversion in 1965 to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Jenny Pierson, his granddaughter, who transcribed it.

• He kept a journal from 1979 to 1981 when he lived in Lewiston, Utah.

Once Melanie and I put these documents together, I could see that it was possible to compile Dad’s history, so I got started. I had to fill in from 1965 until Dad passed away in 2012.

• I got lots of help from Connie (Dad’s second wife) and Melanie with the events after Dad and Connie got married in 1982.

• My wonderful sister and trusty helper, Laura, spent many, many hours working with me, as she has done with other histories I have written. She even took a couple of trips from her house in Utah to my house in Arizona so we could work on it. We are a good team!

• Larry, Lisa, Leslie, Lawson, and Lana all read this history and made contributions. Their input was invaluable!

• My mother-in-law, Sue Coons, a newspaper proofreader for 15 years, graciously agreed to proof the final document.

At the end of the book we included a few things for easy reference. Hopefully this will help you keep the stories and different family relationships straight. If you don’t know who someone is, just skip to the end… and then come back. You will find:

• Lemuel’s life sketch, which is a short version of his story.

• Lemuel’s Pedigree to show his ancestors.

• Family Group Records for George and Ethel (Lemuel’s parents), Lemuel and Leah (his first wife), and Lemuel and Connie.

So here we are—a year and several hundred hours later. As I worked on this history, the thing I realized most of all is that, despite the struggles and imperfections Dad had, he truly loved his family and many others with whom he had contact over the years. He sacrificed to try to help us have a good life. I will always remember Dad as a dreamer and a builder. I will remember him as a “people person” who was genuinely interested in others. I will remember his zest for life, his work ethic, and his willingness to share his talents and dreams with others. I hope you enjoy reading Dad’s life story, and that it will help you get to know him better. My dad—what a guy, indeed!