Ramona Burnett

Ramona Belt Burnett passed away at St. Luke Extended Care on October 5, 2021. She was born August 25, 1936, and was 85 years old. Ramona Belt was born to Ruth and Kenneth Belt in Cortez, Colorado. She had 3 sisters and 1 brother Phillip Belt, Doris McLean, Barbara Palmer and Sherry Audish. Ramona grew up on her granddad’s farm in Cortez, Colorado

Ramona met Harley Jack Burnett on a blind date and fell in love and eloped to Aztec, New Mexico when she was 17. July 27, 1953. Ramona was married to her husband Harley (February 13, 1934) for 67 years until his death May 7, 2020.

Ramona and Jack started their family right away with the birth of their first son Harley Dirk 1954, followed by Timothy Lane 1955, Shelly Rae 1957, Daniel Bruce 1958, Wanda Renee 1963.

Ramona was a housewife and mother all her life. She and Jack lived in Fontana, California where Jack worked as a welder for his brother Ronnie. Ramona babysat and sold Avon.

They moved back to the farm in Colorado where Ramona grew up and ran the dairy for 3 years. In 1967 they moved back to Fontana, and then moved to Camarillo, California in 1970 to work for Jack’s brother-in-law Rollie Cundiff who owned a carpet and drapery store. Jack learned to install carpet and vinyl and taught their sons the trade also. Ramona learned to make custom draperies and work at that store also.

In 1973 the family moved to Polson, Montana and opened their own carpet and drapery store, Burnett’s Carpet, which they operated until 1988 with some of their children working with them.

Ramona and Jack loved gardening. They both canned together and taught their family also. Ramona loved to knit and crochet and made numerous blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ramona loved to read. She and Jack would sit, read and hold grandchildren. From these two people’s union came 5 children, 17 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren, numerous step grandchildren and many great grandchildren with more on the way.

Jack loved hunting and fishing and enjoyed taking his sons and grandsons with him. Ramona went fishing with them and sat on the bank reading books.

Ramona and Jack followed their grandsons all over the country going to all of their military graduations from Annapolis, San Diego, Illinois, New York and San Antonio. These grandsons were in the Navy, Marines, Air Force and Merchant Marines. Ramona and Jack were very proud of them.

Ramona and Jack helped their daughters who loved horses with feeding, breeding, building fences, hauling hay, and hauling horses and grandchildren around to numerous horse shows.

They lost their son Timothy in 1999. Ramona was preceded in death by her son and her husband.

They will all be sorely missed but we know that a piece of them will always live forever in each of the generations that follow them.