Memorials › Opal Modenia Burnett Kelton
Opal Modenia Burnett Kelton
24 Apr 1918 – 30 Jul 1988
| Birth | 24 Apr 1918 |
| Death | 30 Jul 1988 |
| Cemetery | Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery San Antonio , Bexar County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | Three Cousins on 26 Jan 2012 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46375276 |
Bio
Opal Modenia Burnett was the third child born to Harvey Elbert "Ebb" Burnett and Maude Rena Hodges Burnett. She was born April 24, 1918 in Ragley, Beauregard Pa, LA. Opal went to secretarial school, joined Federal Civil Service, and was transferred to Kansas. All of her ratings were outstanding and she quickly rose to the grade of GS-9 which was extremely high for a woman in 1943. One weekend, she went home to Louisiana to see her family. Opal, her sister Jewel, and a friend decided to have their hair styled at a salon in a hotel in Lake Charles, Calcasieu Pa, LA. John Lee Kelton, Jr. and some buddies, stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana, decided to go to Lake Charles the same weekend. John got on an elevator in the hotel and spotted Opal, her sister, and the friend. John asked the friend for a date. She replied she was married but Opal was single. Opal, a great beauty with auburn hair and striking blue eyes, had already refused seven marriage proposals. She decided to take a chance and go on a date with him. The couple was married in Shreveport, LA on December 22, 1943. During World War II, John served with the 153rd Infantry Regiment. After the war, he attended Arkansas State Teachers College, now the University of Central Arkansas, where he played basketball one season. In order to support his wife and daughter, John rejoined the Army, became an officer, and was stationed in Japan with his family. He proudly fought in the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. He was later reassigned to Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Germany. After Germany, the family was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, TX near San Antonio. John retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the military police in 1971. During retirement, Opal finally achieved her goal of visiting all 50 states. Mrs. Kelton, age 70, passed away on Saturday, July 30, 1988, in San Antonio, TX from pneumonia as a result of a stroke and cancer. She was preceded in death by her mother: Maude Rena Hodges Burnett; her father: Harvey Elbert "Ebb" Burnett; brothers: William Freeman Burnett and James Eldon Burnett (Mable); and sisters: Jewel Burnett Harper (Albert) and Mabel Burnett Searcy (John). She was survived by brother: Joseph Raymond Burnett (Lillie Mae); sister: Ruby Mae Burnett Keip (Charles); daughters: Mauda Kelton Palmer (James) of Colleyville, TX, and Karen Kelton Tabor (David) of Helotes, TX; and grandchildren: Greg, Kevin, and Mark Palmer and Brian, Eric, and Katherine Tabor. NOTE: A direct lineal female descendant participated in The Genographic Project. Testing indicates Opal was a member of the K1c1b mitochondrial DNA haplogroup, as was Oetzi, The Iceman.
Photos
Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
- James Eldon Burnett 1914–1982
- William Freeman Burnett 1917–1917
- Jewel Leona Burnett Harper 1920–1985
- Ruby Mae Burnett Keip 1923–2013
- Mabel Iva Burnett Searcy 1926–1986
- Joseph Raymond Burnett 1929–2007
Children
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