Thomas Burnette

Thomas “Thom” Ray Burnette 54, of Selma, VA passed away peacefully after a brief illness at
Roanoke Carilion Hospital in Roanoke,VA.

Thom was born in Roanoke,VA and was preceded in death by his parents Clifford O. Burnette and Glenda Louella Burnette as well as his sister,Theresa Meador.

Thom is survived by his wife of 32 wild and amazing years, Sarah Burnette and by their 5
Children, Nikita Dressler of Milboro, Megan Russell (Dustin) of Rustburg, Tommy Burnette
(Oressa Martin) of Covington, Aaron Burnette (Rebekah) of Clifton Forge, and Issac Burnette of
Selma. Thom was affectionately called Pawpaw and PopPop by his surviving grandchildren,
Rachael Sullivan, Kenzie Martin, Kyra Martin, Eli Russell, Gabriella Burnette, Conley Dressler, Savannah Russell, Maddie Rae Burnette, and Amelia Jane Burnette. Thom is
also survived by his niece Amanda Cooper and great niece Lilyanna Cooper of Roanoke.

Thom grew up in Piney Flats, TN and was a 1987 graduate of Sullivan East High School, Living
in Upper East TN, Thom loved Nascar and he was a diehard Tennessee Volunteer fan. Thom
enjoyed riding motorcycles, camping, computer games and binge watching his latest series of
interest. Thom loved doing the sound for the annual Starz productions. Thom was an active
member of Good News Church on Main and enjoyed helping in the sound room by running the
computers.

Despite being laid back and easy like a Sunday morning, Thom worked hard, played hard and
loved even harder. He loved his family and friends deeply and was always willing to drop
everything to help anyone when needed. Thom was known by many as a giant teddy bear or a
gentle giant because of his large stature and his kind, quiet and unassuming nature. Thom had
the greatest sense of humor and could make people laugh even when they didn’t feel like they
could laugh. Thom’s intelligence, his wisdom and his wit were unmatchable and he always
simplified even the most difficult of situations.

Thom was a peacemaker but not a pushover because of his level headedness and his ability to
always stay calm. Thom was an out of the box thinker and he had the ability to see situations
from all angles and not just the obvious angles.

Thom was currently employed by West Rock as a Process Control Analyst and had been
previously employed by Ingevity. Thom was a professional computer nerd for over thirty years
and Thom was always up for new challenges and learning new things
Thom loved God and Thom served God through loving and serving others. Thom’s integrity and
his life well lived are a challenge and an encouragement to those of us Thom left behind.

The family will receive guests on Saturday, June 22, 2024 at Nicely Funeral Home, Clifton Forge from 1:00-3:00 PM with the memorial service beginning at 3:00 with Pastor Steve Noel officiating.

To send condolences to the family online, please visit www.nicelyfuneralhome.com