Obituary of Michael A. Burkett

Michael A. “Mike” Burkett, age 64 of rural Solon died Wednesday, November 24, 2021, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 pm Sunday, November 28th. at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Private family services will be held at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Mike’s memory. To share a thought, memory or condolence with his family please visit the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com. Michael Allen Burkett was born February 20, 1957, in Iowa City the son of Aubrey and M. Joyce (Pitz) Burkett. Attending schools in Iowa City he graduated from City High School in 1975. Shortly after this he began a career with Mid-America Pipeline which would last over 25 years. On November 7, 1980, he married Corinne S. Fountain at St. Patricks Catholic Church in Iowa City. Within a few years the couple purchased a farm northeast of Solon where he has been living his dream ever since! Mike believed in the three F’s of life, faith, family and farming, all so intertwined for him. He was born into a strong Catholic family, many of his early childhood teachings carried him well thoughout his life, and everyone knows you can’t farm without faith. And he would be the first to share with you, you can’t live without family! Mike enjoyed so much in his world, raising his Black Angus Cattle, raising hay for the horses and the cattle, annual trips to the State Fair with his family, trips to snow mobile or UTV, kayaking with family and friends and listening to classic country western. Throw in a horse and he was riding high. He loved going to horse shows or rodeos, especially with his grandchildren competing. Mike was a simple man who loved his life. His family includes his wife, Corinne; daughters and their husbands, Alicia and Cody Smith, and Andrea and Robert Weimerskrich; four granddaughters that adored their grandpa, Laney, Piper, Hattie and Quincey; Mike’s mother, Joyce Burkett; and his siblings, Linda and Ron Kron, William and Lois Burkett, and Rita and James Brumwell; mother-in-law, Suzanne Fountain, and brother-in-law, Paul Fountain II. Mike was preceded in death by his father, Aubrey; and his brother, James Burkett.