John Leonard Burnett

John Leonard (Johnny) Burnett entered Chapter Eternal on June 2, 2023. Born October 8, 1938 in Memphis, he spent his early childhood in Joiner, Arkansas. The family moved to the Heights neighborhood of Little Rock in 1946. Johnny graduated Little Rock Central High School in 1956 and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville where he graduated in 1960 with a BS in Business Administration. He is a lifetime member of the Sigma Chi fraternity (Omega Omega chapter) and is a Life Loyal Sig and recipient of the Grand Consul Citation for chairing the house committee to build the current Omega Omega house at the University of Arkansas. He spent a career in commercial real estate with Rector Phillips Morse starting in 1972 until his retirement in 2018. He served at Sr. Vice President, President, and sat on the RPM Board of Directors for over 25 years. He was a Board of Realtors Million Dollar Club-Life Member and qualified every year since the Club’s inception in 1975. He was a member of the Society of Office and Industrial Realtors (SIOR) and served both on the organization’s international board of directors as well president of the Arkansas Chapter. Johnny had a longtime love of service to his community and nowhere was it more evident than in his role with Easter Seals of Arkansas. At the time of his retirement Johnny was the longest serving member of Easter Seals of Arkansas’ board of directors and was instrumental as Chairman of the Building Committee for the development of Easter Seals’ 80,000 square foot campus.

Johnny was an avid outdoorsman. From golf to snow skiing, camping and fishing, or his true passion…hunting. He was a member of Jackson Point Hunting Club and an Arkansas Big Buck Classic winner. He was well known for his passion and advocacy for the Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area and its flooded green timber duck hunting having owned and operated the infamous “Pintail Hunting Club” since purchasing it from his father in 1970. He was still an active member of Chenal Country Club and could be found playing golf with any number of friends.

Johnny is preceded in death by his parents, John M. Burnett and Mary Leonard Burnett, younger sister Mary Kay East, and niece Kimberly Smith. He is survived by his wife of almost 54 years, Marianne A. Burnett, only child John Evin (Jeb) Burnett, daughter in law Kristi L. Burnett, and two grandsons, John Shelby (JB) Burnett and Robert Kristopher (Bobby) Burnett and older sister Suzanne Burnett McGee; as well as many loved nieces, nephews and in-laws.

Visitation will be from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at Smith Little Rock Funeral Home (8801 Knoedl Court). Funeral service will be at 10:00 AM Thursday, June 8, 2023 at Pulaski Heights Methodist Church with burial following at Forest Hills Memorial Park at 1:00 PM. Please visit www.smithfamilycares.com for the online guestbook.