Obituary of Hilton L. Burnett

Danvers - Hilton Burnett, 89, formerly of Peabody and Danvers, passed away on June 16th, 2020 at the Brightview Danvers Senior Living Facility, following a brief illness. He was the devoted husband of the late Sylvia (Pallitta) Burnett with whom he shared over 55 years of marriage. Born in Lynn, he was the son of the late Henry and Aurora Burnett. He was raised in Cliftondale and Lynnfield, graduating from Wakefield High School in 1948. Burnie, as his friends called him, enlisted in the Navy Reserves and then served as a Seabee in the Navy in the early 1950s for 2 years. He completed the GE Apprentice program and several classes at Lowell Institute School (MIT), becoming a draftsman in 1950 at the General Electric Riverworks plant for more than 40 years. At GE, he reconnected with his future wife Sylvia, after working together at a hardware store as teenagers, and got the nickname “Red” because of his red hair. As a young man, he loved boats, taking Sylvia and his parents out in his motor boat on Pillings Pond in Lynnfield. He loved animals and had two dogs as a child. In the 1970s summers, he liked to cannonball into his pool after work, much to his family’s amusement. Burnie loved music, especially Dixieland Jazz, and going on Jazz Riverboat Cruises with friends. He was a member of the American Legion and joined Sylvia on bus trips with various Lynnfield and Peabody societies. Playing checkers, cribbage, dominos, and whist with friends and family were favorite pastimes, along with trips to Boothbay Harbor, Maine in the summer and to Vermont and the White Mountains in the autumn. Burnie was a dedicated brother, father, and grandfather, generous with his time and always willing to help. He is survived by his daughters, Teresa Riley and Elizabeth Cordiner and her husband, Scott of Danvers, his granddaughter, Erin Laskin and her husband, Bryan, of Danvers and his great-grandchildren, Hannah, Camden, and Colton Laskin, and a special friend, Pete Santamaria. He was predeceased by his sisters, June Sidman and Edith Ford, and his brother, Henry Burnett. His funeral services will be held privately at the Swampscott Cemetery. Arrangements by the Conway Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA 01923.