GREENBRIER — George “Kent” Burnett,

77, of Greenbrier, Arkansas, passed away on April 11th, 2022. Kent was born in Mena, Ark., on February 19, 1945. He graduated from Mena High School in 1963 and continued on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He was involved in Theta Tau, Sigma Pi, and served as Vice President of the U of A student body.

After graduation, he worked for IBM in Little Rock, Ark., Minneapolis, Minn., and Raleigh, N.C. In 1979, he joined Dillard’s Department Stores as Vice President of Information Technology in Little Rock and held that position for five years. From 1984 to 2006, he served as Dillard’s Division Chairman in the Phoenix, Ariz., office before being named Dillard’s VP of Stores in Dallas, Texas. He returned to Little Rock in 2009 to lead the E-Commerce Initiative as VP of Technology. He retired on September 30, 2016.

Since retirement, he joked that he worked harder than he ever did before. He kept himself busy through several boards and advisory groups. These include Inuvo, First Orion, CLL Global Research Fund, and the Peregrine Fund. He is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Industrial Engineers and the U of A College of Engineering Board of Advisors. His sense of adventure took him to all seven continents, and he took many photos throughout his journeys. He spent many days out on the golf greens improving his game.

Kent Burnett was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Kent never met a stranger due to his engaging, friendly, and upbeat personality.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Deborah Doland Burnett; his son, Brian (Dawn) Burnett; his grandchildren, Marianne (Jacob) Sutton, TJ (Caroline) Burnett, and Robyn (John David) Lancaster; and his siblings, Reese Burnett, Georgia Fletcher, and Gary Burnett.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the CLL Global Research Fund or the Peregrine Fund. Respectively, more information can be found on cllglobal. org and peregrinefund.org Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com