Mahlon “Bill” Burnette

Mahlon Admire \"Bill\" Burnette, 94, of Leatherwood Farms, Leesville, Virginia died Friday February 17, 2012 at the Smith Mt. Lake Runk & Pratt Memory Care Residential Facility.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Alda Mergler Burnette; a son Mahlon Admire III, his wife Mary and their sons Josh and Brett; a son James Tilson and his wife Sam; a daughter Janis Burnette Hubbard, her husband Henry and their children Kyle and Blair; and a son Robert Kyle, his wife Sandra and their son Bryce.

Bill was preceded in death by two brothers and five sisters. Son of Mahlon Admire and Emma English Burnette, he was born in Leesville on July 27, 1917 and graduated from Altavista High School in 1938.

Bill earned an agronomy degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1942 and was commissioned in the U.S. Army through the Corps of Cadets. He became a B-17 bomber pilot, flying with the 8th Air Force in the European Theater of Operations during WWII. He received the Air Medal and four oak leaf clusters. He was also a member of the Lucky Bastards Club for successfully completing 29 missions.

After two years with the USDA Soil Conservation Service, Bill returned to his home farm to raise registered Black Angus cattle, horses, many novelty species of birds and animals, and Loblolly pines as a Virginia Tree Farmer.

He began his teaching career with a farm training program for veterans in Campbell, Bedford and Pittsylvania counties. After teaching high school industrial arts, he taught science and biology at Altavista High School starting in the early 1950\"™s. In the mid-1960\"™s he taught Vocational Agriculture in Chatham and Gretna. He also served as adviser to the Gretna and Renan Young Adult Farmers.

Following 31 years with the Virginia public education system, he retired in 1979 to his home at Leatherwood Farm which has been in the Burnette family for over 100 years. His cremated remains have been returned to the farm.