John Lee Burman, 90, of Hopkinsville, died on September 2, 2024, at his home following a lengthy illness.
A native of Cox’s Creek in Nelson County, KY, John was born on November 5, 1933, to the late Carvan Burman and Magaline Jones Burman. One of six children growing up poor on a rural Kentucky farm he learned the value of hard work, perseverance, and family.
John went on to graduate from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. Degree in Agriculture. Farming was near and dear to his heart accumulating almost 2000 acres of farmland in Christian County, where he settled with his late wife, Ellen, whom he had met at college. John was an early pioneer and proponent of no-till farming and was recognized twice with the Kentucky Master Conservationist Award while raising tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, and cattle. He also was a long-time member of the Christian County Agri-Business Association.
Out of college, John entered the army for two years working as a meat inspector for the USDA. Following his service, he became an insurance agent with Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company in Louisville, KY, before moving to Hopkinsville in 1960.
From 1960 until his retirement in January 2015, John served as Agency Manager for Christian County Farm Bureau growing membership from 1,456 families to over 7,500 member families while achieving numerous awards along the way: Master Agent (23 years), Eagles Club (18 years), Production Club (13 years), National Quality and Sales Achievements (12 years), and Agency Manager of the Year (11 years).
John was also generous to his community: he and his wife, Ellen, were members of First Baptist Church for over 50 years where they established a special children’s trust fund (John was also a deacon and served on the executive committee of the church); he and his wife were key contributors to the construction of the local YMCA most notably the childcare facility and indoor playground; they also established a robotics club at Hopkinsville’s University Heights Academy. John was a founding member of Pennyrile Citizens Bank and a board member for 20 years and served in the Rotary Club for 15 years. John was known to send Gideon Bibles to celebrate an event in someone’s life whether it was “In Honor Of” or “In Memory Of”.
John was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Ellen Radcliffe Kline Burman, (d. June 16, 2015). Survivors include his son: Michael Burman (Lisa) of Clarksville, TN; daughter: Susan Conochalla (Bob) of Palm Coast, FL; son: Lt. Col. (ret.) Mark Burman (Lauren), of Nashville, TN; his sister: Doris Metcalf of Lebanon Junction, KY; 7 grandchildren; and 3 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Friday, September 6, 2024, at First Baptist Church in Hopkinsville, KY. A private burial will be held at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West in Hopkinsville. Hughart, Beard, & Giles Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Memorial contributions are suggested to Gideons International, P. O. Box 982, Hopkinsville, KY 42241.
