[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 19 (Tuesday, February 2, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E93]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF KATHRYN BURKETT

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 2, 2016

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Kathryn Louise 
Spires Burkett of Edmund was properly eulogized during funeral services 
recognizing her legacy as one of South Carolina's most beloved civic 
leaders and homemakers.
  She and her late husband Horace raised their children to become some 
of the most respected professionals of the Midlands of South Carolina 
with her grandchildren now achieving the highest standards of community 
service and success.
  In January 1984, her passion for excellence was crucial in launching 
my successful campaign to serve in the State Senate when she was a co-
host of a reception at the Farm Bureau in Cayce. The Burkett Family 
endorsement made the difference in a very challenging effort for 
victory in the October Republican primary replacing an incumbent.
  A fitting tribute was published on January 31st in The State 
newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina:

       Kathryn Louise Spires Burkett entered into eternal rest on 
     January 30, 2016, following a brief illness. Kathryn, born 
     April 11, 1929, was a daughter of Drayton and Sara Spires of 
     Cayce, S.C. She attended BC High School where she was 
     Homecoming Queen representing her lifelong sweetheart, Horace 
     Olin Burkett, Jr. She attended Columbia College before she 
     and Horace married in 1949. They were proud parents to Jimmy, 
     Donny, Ronny, Timmy, and Andrea and pursued their dream of 
     raising their children in the country. They moved to their 
     beloved 17 acres in Edmund in 1962. Their home was a place of 
     welcome to all, an endless source of adventure to their 
     children, and the site of countless picnics, fish fries, and 
     family gatherings. Kathryn's boundless energy was devoted to 
     home, family, church, and community. She planted, nurtured, 
     and harvested an acre vegetable garden every summer and 
     proudly canned enough food to feed her family throughout the 
     year. She was a marvelous cook, and her hand gently stirring 
     a bowl of flour into mouth-watering biscuits was a wonder to 
     behold.
       She served on the Governor's Beautification Board and 
     volunteered with the American Heart Association, American 
     Cancer Society, Little League, Cub Scouts, and PTA. She and 
     Horace also served in many capacities at Cayce United 
     Methodist Church and the Edmund Community Club. Kathryn was 
     devoted to the cause of mental health and was a catalyst in 
     starting the first Lexington County Mental Health Center. She 
     also had an avid interest in politics, volunteering for Strom 
     Thurmond, Floyd Spence and Ben Carson, among many others, and 
     as a poll watcher and precinct captain.
       Kathryn and Horace left a legacy to their children, 
     grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of commitment, 
     faithfulness, and an unfailing knowledge of the difference 
     between right and wrong. We thank them from the bottom of our 
     hearts and proudly carry all they taught us into the future. 
     Kathryn was predeceased by her parents, Drayton and Sara; her 
     husband, Horace; her brothers, Col and Fred Spires; her 
     sister, Margie McNair; brother-in-law, David Burkett; and her 
     granddaughter, Crystal Bradshaw. She is survived by her 
     sister-in-law and spouse, Jeannette Burkett and Owen 
     Livingston and her children and spouses/partners: Jimmy and 
     Debbie Burkett, Donny and Jeannie Burkett, Ronny and Mary 
     Burkett, Tim Burkett and Lance Wilhelm, and Andrea and Bobby 
     Lange. She is survived by grandchildren and spouses/partners: 
     Sarah and Heath Maner, Laura and Zach Moore, Tiffany Burkett, 
     Brandi and Mike Dixon, Michael Burkett and Lisa Walner, 
     Patrick Burkett, Meghan Burkett, Ian and Jenn Burkett, Jesse 
     Bundrick and Jada Lange. She was blessed with great-
     granddaughters, Micaiah, Anna, and Alexis Burkett and Charley 
     Dixon, and newborn great-grandson, Ezekiel Burkett.
       Visitation will be held on Monday, February 1, at Cayce 
     United Methodist Church from 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and 
     followed by services at 3:00 p.m. Private interment will 
     follow in Southland Memorial Gardens. The family will receive 
     friends at the home of Ronny and Mary Burkett, 87 Holly Ridge 
     Lane, West Columbia, on Sunday afternoon from 2-5 p.m. 
     Memorials may be made to the Crystal Bradshaw Foundation, 17 
     Abberton Court, Chapin, SC 29036. The family wishes to thank 
     the special caregivers and residents of Oakleaf Village who 
     were family to Kathryn in her later years.

                          ____________________