Worcester – Surrounded by members of her family, Ann C. Burnett, 68, died peacefully on Monday, May 11, 2009, at The UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester. Mrs. Burnett had a long history of rehabilitation following a heart attack in 1982; however, she never missed an opportunity to live life to its fullest potential and inspired a great deal more to do the same through her perseverance, infectious laugh, and rapier-sharp wit.
Born on March 21, 1941 in Downpatrick, County Down, Ireland, a place where mothers and young children were safely relocated during the WWII air attacks on the big city of Glasgow, Scotland; Ann was the daughter of Scottish parents James McCulloch and is survived by her mother Elizabeth (Ellis) McCulloch. Ann grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, where she attended Maid Marion School for Hair Design following her formative schooling, which included a concentrated study of Scotland’s poet laureate Robert Burns.
Ann married Robert C. Burnett on July 1, 1961, emigrating from Scotland to America the very next day, and never once looked back. She is survived by three children: son Robbie and his wife Carrie of Worcester, son Rod and his former wife Cheryl Devlin of Worcester, and daughter Kairon and her husband Kevin Sullivan of Dennis, and grandchildren Kate and Ann Burnett, and Olivia and Kevin Sullivan.
Ann worked at The Paul Revere Insurance Company, Worcester before choosing to raise her family in 1964. She was a licensed Massachusetts hairdresser. Her interests and hobbies were her family and wintering on Sanibel Island. She was a tireless supporter of her husband Bob and his career as an engineering executive. Ann raised her three children, and her four grandchildren with a balanced mix of the new world and the traditional Scottish family value.
In recognition of her affection for the family, her life’s passion, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Assn., 20 Speen Street, Framingham MA 01701-4688.
Service Information:
Friends and relatives are respectfully invited to a time of visitation from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14 at Nordgren Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln Street, Worcester, MA 01605. All are invited for an 11:30 a.m. gathering and 12:00 p.m. memorial and celebration of life on Friday, May 15 at Nordgren Memorial Chapel. For directions to the funeral home and to leave the family a message in Ann’s on-line guestbook, please click on link below.