Helen Burnette Allen, age 83, went home to be with the Lord Tuesday, May 31, 2022.

Family and friends  gathered Sunday afternoon, June 5, at Wells Funeral Home with a graveside service  at Magnolia Cemetery in Batesville .

Burnette was born on August 24, 1938 to the late Elbert Park Allen and Helen Lucille (Burnette) McCaa in Dyersburg, Tennessee. She graduated from Batesville High School in 1956. She earned an Associate in Business from Northwest Mississippi Junior College where she was also a drum majorette in the band. Her Bachelors of Science degree was conferred from The University of The State of New York. Along the way, she earned credits from the University of Mississippi and the University of Maryland. She was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Fraternity.

She loved music and performing, taking great pride in her days as a drum majorette participating in competitions throughout Mississippi. Burnette was extremely creative and musical, excelling at the oboe and clarinet. She loved holidays and had boxes of decorations for every occasion. She loved shopping- especially for antiques.

Burnette never met a stranger. She loved her Montebello community whom she considered a part of her family. Her neighbors would often find her and her Scottish Terrier “Winnie” outside landscaping her yard and tending to her prized flowers. She loved visiting with her neighbors and was grateful for their kindness. She lived to laugh and was quick with a smile.

Burnette worked as an administrative assistant at the Pentagon. She also excelled in sales and later worked as a real estate agent for many years in various states. Her most recent job was as a sale associate at Talbots in Germantown, TN where she loved interacting with people.

She attended Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis.

She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Bradley (Matt) of Gainesville, VA; her son, Hal Sistrunk (Jenny) of Brandon; and one granddaughter, Emma Bradley.

Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by one brother, Bert (Dot) Allen; her beloved West Highland Terrier, Scooter.