Russell Gordon Burnett

BURNETT, RUSSELL GORDON, 74, of Decatur, Georgia and Hancock Point, Maine died suddenly on July 12, 2020, in Decatur just after returning from his final stay at his beloved Hancock Point with his family. Russell was the son of Edith Gordon and Walter Burnett and we called him “Rusty” when he was a kid. Russell is survived by his wife Regan Delaney Burnett, his son Benjamin Lowell Mann (and his wife Monica), his daughter Sarah Margaret Armstrong, his sister Bridget Hanson (and her husband Chris Ickler) , his brothers Peter Whiteside Burnett (and his wife Janet), John Dana Burnett (and his wife Margaret) and Benjamin George Burnett, several grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and many wonderful friends and colleagues. Russ was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky and grew up in Miami, Florida. He earned a BS at Florida State University, attended FSU School of Law for two years, and later in life earned a Juris Doctor degree at Georgia State University College of Law. Following a short first marriage, Russell worked at several types of jobs in Tallahassee, Florida, including carpenter and painting contractor, and for a period drove a taxi in Boston. In 1984 Russell attended paralegal school in Atlanta and worked several years as a labor law paralegal while attending Georgia State University College of Law at night. Following graduation he became a member of the Georgia Bar and practiced for thirty years in the Atlanta area, concentrating on labor law, personal injury and DUI defense. Russell’s favorite activities included attending 12-step recovery meetings and Bible Study Fellowship, worshiping at Campus Church, practicing Centering Prayer at Saint Thomas More, boating in Maine, and riding one of his several bikes, alone or with groups. Russell was an avid reader and he loved music, had a shelf full of biographies of classical composers, and was a wonderful electric guitar player. He was a character, full of life and he made everyone laugh. Russell’s life became complete when he met and married his wife, Regan. Russell recently said in a biography he wrote for his fraternity brothers that he was “baptized for real in 2008. God had brought me a good wife.” The family encourages that donations in Russell’s memory be made to Across the Bridge. A Zoom Celebration of his life will be on Sunday, July 19th at 3:00 pm and a family memorial service will be in Maine later this summer.