Carol Burgett

Carol Burgett, 75, passed peacefully away December 7, 2018. She was surrounded by her family celebrating her life and giving thanks for her love.  Her long battle with lung cancer was a inspiration to all her knew her.

She was born July 12, 1943 in Shawnee, Oklahoma to James Hayes Mitchell and Lydia Lorraine (Woodliff) Mitchell.  In 1946, the family moved from Wewoka to Oklahoma City where she grew up and attended Central High School.  While attending the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, she met the love of her life, James Ralph Burgett.  They married and had a daughter.  They moved to Little Rock, Arkansas in 1965 for employment and had their second daughter.

Carol worked as a School Secretary for Pulaski County Special School District while attending UALR studying to become an Educator.  She taught at Cloverdale Junior High, Jacksonville Junior High and then in 1978 made the move to North Pulaski High School as a Senior English Teacher. In her years of teaching, she influenced and inspired generations of students.  She continued her education getting a Masters in Public Administration and was promoted to Assistant Vice Principal.  She remained in that position until she retired in 2001. After the death of her husband Jim, in 2002, she ran and won the election for PCSSD School Board, for which she served four years.

Following that, she became a Volunteer with the Clinton Presidential Library. She was recognized for years as one of the “Top 42”.  She loved her volunteer experience and cherished the friendships she made there.

She loved travelling and went on many adventures.  She went to Canada, England, Spain, France and Africa.  Even after her illness, she wanted to still see the world.  She traveled with her daughters to Huntsville, AL, San Francisco/Napa, CA, and Branson, MO.  Her last trip was to Galveston, Texas which included a Fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.

She also loved sailing with Jim and was a life member of Grande Maumelle Sailing Club. She was very competitive and won many trophies for her crew work.  She served on the Board when Jim was the Club Commodore.  She and Jim took many sailing vacations in the Caribbean.

She loved and adored her daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.  She had a close relationship with her sister, Judy, and her family.  She had nieces and nephews, cousins and in-laws that loved her.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Jim.  She is survived by her daughters, Cori (Larry) Fetters of North Little Rock, Arkansas; Jill (Allen) Barton of Fayetteville, Georgia.  Her sister, Julia (John E.) Norlin of Norman, Oklahoma; sister-in-law, Tina Burgett of New Haven, CT and brother-in-law, Will Burgett of Glendale, California.  Grandchildren are Zachary (Jesse) Sparks of Cabot, Arkansas; Casey Sparks of San Diego, California; Antonia Fetters of North Little Rock, Arkansas; Jeremy Barton, Lara Barton and Ethan Barton all of Fayetteville, Georgia.  Host of nieces and nephews; Edie (Paul Sanders) Norlin, Alisa Norlin, Sara Leutner-Burgett, and Erin Burgett-Leutner (Riold).

She was resilient, stoic, and hard-headed.  She expected the best from people and usually got it. The family would like to thank Dr. Jamie Burton and staff at CARTI, Arkansas Hospice, and special friends who supported her during her illness.  In lieu of flowers, donations to your charity of choice are appreciated.  A memorial service is set for January 5, 2019 at Smith-North Little Rock Funeral Home, 1921 Main Street, North Little Rock, AR 72114.  Visitation will be 2-4pm, Service 4pm, and Celebration of Life to follow at The Greens at North Hills.