Kitzi Jo Burkett

Kitzi Jo Burkett, 57-and-a-day, of Boone, NC passed quietly and independently on March 4,
2026 while in hospice care in Winston-Salem. Kitzi was born in Boone on March 3, 1969, to
Harold and Mary Jo Burkett, becoming a little sister to her two brothers, Randall and Donny,
which completed the Burkett family.
We all knew Kitzi in different capacities, situations, and seasons of life – which makes each of
our relationships and memories unique. You may have spotted Kitzi in pigtails running around
the Burkett Surveyors office or playing outside near Willow Valley Golf Course. You might have
been Kitzi’s classmate at Cove Creek School or Watauga High School, where she rocked her
saxophone and Q-tip hat in the Marching Band. Maybe you took a ride in her Chevette or her
Jeep on the back roads of Watauga and Ashe Counties. Perhaps you worked alongside her at
Wendy’s or Tweetsie, where she drove the Mouse Mine train. (She could still sing that song
after all these years!) You might have been her softball teammate being motivated by her from
the catcher’s position behind home plate, or perchance you shared a visit to the tattoo studio.
You could have met her in Arizona wearing her Kokopelli necklace while hiking in the desert she
loved, or possibly you hopped into a kayak to float down the river together. You may have
shared an RC Cola and a rousing 80s music sing-a-long, or maybe you spent time together
musing through 80s nostalgia (popped collars, handwritten notes, Glamour shots, mullets). You
may have shared good times or rough times. You might have drifted apart or reconnected.
Knowing Kitzi meant you definitely encountered her sharp wit, impeccable memory, classic
sarcasm, and her enjoyment of puns and word play. Her love for her furry and feathery family
members was boundless - Beaumont, Morgan, Rizzo, Bisbee, Mojo, Gypsy, Karma, Echo, Rio,
and all others would surely agree! In whatever magnitude you knew Kitzi, you became part of
her life story, and she was grateful for every page you wrote together.
Kitzi always said she was not afraid to die, and she held this brave belief strong in her heart.
Preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Mary Jo Burkett, her brother, Randall Burkett,
some close friends, and her precious pets over the years, Kitzi’s homecoming was most
certainly special.
Kitzi is survived by her brother, Donny Burkett (Ruth Ann); her niece, Kortni Farthing (Shaun);
her nephews, Garrett Burkett (Joanna), Dereck Burkett, and Brandon Burkett; her great nieces,
Riley and Raylyn Hollars; and her beloved service dog and buddy, Rio.
No visitation or funeral services are planned at this time, but, in true Kitzi fashion, there will be a
Celebration of Life gathering when the trees are green and the weather is warm enough for us
to be outdoors together with our families, friends, and pets in the mountains that Kitzi loved.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Watauga County Humane Society (or an animal care and
adoption agency of your choice) in Kitzi’s memory or continued donations to the family through
Kitzi’s GoFundMe are gratefully appreciated.
Online condolences may be shared at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com

Austin and Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Burkett family.

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