Robert Kent Burnaman

Robert Kent Burnaman, age 81, of Gulfport, died Monday, January 9, 2006 at Memorial Hospital. He was born on June 21, 1924 in Gulfport to Wise and Lottie Williams Burnaman. He was married to the former Lillian Louise Klein of Gulfport on March 28, 1948. Mr. Burnaman was a member of St. Matthew Lutheran Church where he served as chairman of the Board of Elders and president of the congregation. He managed his own CPA firm in Gulfport for 43 years. Mr. Burnaman volunteered with many civic organizations, which included past president of the Miss. Coast CPA Association and Chairman of the State Insurance Committee for CPA's. He served as past president of the South Mississippi Estate Planning Council, served on the board of the United Way, and served as the treasurer for the Youth for Christ. As a member of the Gulfport Rotary Club he served as treasurer for 15 years and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow. In recent years, he served as treasurer of the Coast Community Concert Association, treasurer of the Gulfport-Biloxi QB Hangar and first president of the Burnaman Family Association. His parents George Wise Burnaman of Copiah County and Lottie Williams Burnaman of Gulfport precede him in death. He is survived by his wife Lillian Klein Burnaman, his son Robert Kent Burnaman, Jr. and grandson Robert Kent Burnaman, III of Gulfport. He is also survived by his daughter Beverly Heimstead and her husband Michael and two daughters Kristen and Stephanie of Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. Burnaman was a 1943 graduate of Brookhaven High School, and also a graduate of Mississippi State University. He proudly served his country as a pilot in the Army Air Corp during World War II. There will be a visitation at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home on O'Neal Road, Wednesday, January 11 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The funeral service will be held at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, O'Neal Road at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, January 12.Interment will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens in Gulfport. In lieu of flowers, the family request memorials be made to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 1301 31st Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501, or to the American Heart Association, P.O Box 638, Gulfport, MS 39502. Mr. Burnaman will be remembered by his family as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. His many former clients and colleagues will remember him as a fair and honest businessman.