Family Friends

It's hard to believe, but for over fifty years Jan and I have known Bud and Helen Burnette and their family. These pictures won't mean much to those who don't know them, but for family members and friends who have known these people, they will give a small glimpse into their lives.

We met Bud and Helen back when I was in the navy in Charleston. Bud had been a navy seal and spent time in Vietnam, and when we met up with them through the church, he was still in the navy working as an ET, an electronic technician. They were the guys that fixed all the radios, radars and other electronic devices on the ships, and they kept pretty busy.

We moved to the farm in June of 1976. I'm not sure when they moved to Juneau, but they were living there by the time our third daughter Amber was born in 78. Amber was the first of five of our kids who were born in Juneau, at the Bartlett Memorial Hospital. Because Hoonah was forty miles away from the closest hospital, and there was no set delivery date for each of the babies, we opted to go to Juneau early, often spending several weeks at the Burnett home, though they didn't have an abundance of room themselves. For several weeks they blessed us with not only their friendship, but a warm place to stay and good, nutritious meals. Living on the farm and having a limited variety of things to eat, being able to stay with Bud and Helen was always a treat for us.

After we had moved to Hoonah, and the kids were all grown and on their way, we kind of lost touch with each other, as happens sometimes. Eventually they moved north to Palmer and we never heard from them. In 2020 we moved north as well, to Wasilla, about thirty minutes away. 

A few months ago, Helen ended up in the hospital and Bud reached out to let us know and for some prayer support. We of course prayed for our friends, and on a few occasions were able to turn the tables and bring them a few tasty meals. Its been a long time to wait for payback, but they seemed to like the food and it was so nice to be part of their lives again.

Last week we were invited to a birthday celebration for both of them. They both turned 80 within a month of each other, so their three kids, Buddy, Michael, and Christie came with their families and together with a few friends, celebrated the birthdays of these wonderful people. I hope we have an occasion to get together for a number of years to come.