John W Brunner

John W. Brunner, of Waukesha, found eternal peace on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at AngelsGrace Hospice at the age of 91. He was born in New Berlin, Wisconsin, on January 8, 1928, the son of Frank and Frances (nee Sanders) Brunner.

John attended St. Mary’s Catholic School in Elm Grove as a child and was highly influenced in his faith by the Sisters of Notre Dame. After moving to Waukesha in 1941 while in eighth grade, he attended his final year in school at St. Joseph Catholic School, having then to stay home to work the family farm. John later served as a medical corp sergeant in the Army Air Force from 1946-47 at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio and Scott Field near St. Louis. An athletic man, he often joked of how he was regularly recruited for the Randolph AFB track team, where he outsprinted all 300 of his base comrades.

Prior to serving in the military, John had met Virginia (‘Jeanne’) Egofske. John’s sister was dating (and later married) Jeanne’s brother, and they brought their respective siblings on a blind date. On May 30, 1949, John and Jeanne married; she preceded him in death on September 17, 2012.

John worked as a supervisor in manufacturing early in their marriage, and became a realtor in 1964, starting out at Parkview Realty for several years. He began working for, as it was then known, Bielinski Homes in their earliest years and continued for 38 years. He often said, “I never saw anything I couldn’t sell” and retired from Bielinski Custom Homes in 2004 at the age of 76, having received numerous awards for sales and distinction during those years.
Before it became a now popular thing to do, John and Jeanne also flipped four homes in the 1960’s. Also during this time, they operated a year-round home garden center, which included delivering and laying sod. His two children often accompanied him, both for helping hands but mainly to spend time with them and instill a grounded work ethic which he carried his entire life.

From a young age, John’s desire was to serve others and follow in his father, grandfather and great-grandfather’s legacies of civic duty. In 1955, at the age of 27, John was elected Treasurer of the Town of Waukesha and remained in that position for 32 years through 1987. He was then elected Waukesha Town Chairman for an additional eight years, working a total of 40 years in government office when he retired in 1995.

In all areas of his life, John lived by the principles of honesty, integrity, and forgiveness, and was well respected by his colleagues and those he served. He genuinely cared for and devoted his life to helping others. His family was a priority, and he and Jeanne were very committed to their faith. The early influence of the Sisters of Notre Dame promoted a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. John designed and built an outdoor stone grotto to honor her at all three of their homes with the original statue, purchased when they were first married, moving with them to each residence. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waukesha since 1941 and a member of the Holy Name Society, where he also served as Secretary and Treasurer.

For his entire life, John’s passion was gardening and landscaping. Through vegetables, flowers, bushes, and trees, his yards were blessed with the beauty and bounty of this love. This, coupled with Jeanne’s love of cooking and canning, allowed for his harvests to be enjoyed until the next planting season. Even after moving to Avalon Square in Waukesha in March of 2003, John volunteered there as the gardener for 13 years until the age of 88. Planning began in March and he always tried to have the beds cleared and readied for the next year by November 1st. Residents and visitors enjoyed the beautiful courtyard, entry, and bedded areas that he meticulously maintained over the years.

John was also known for his sense of humor, his love of laughter, and his joy in sharing stories and songs from the earliest days of his life. Even in his final days, his memory was keen as ever as he enjoyed recalling stories from his past, including such detailed memories as the names of all Cubs players from the first professional baseball game he attended at age nine, as well as the names and positions of the 1941 national champion UW-Wisconsin Badger basketball team. An avid baseball player in this younger days, he loved watching professional baseball, college girls softball, and college mens basketball.

John was preceded in death by Virginia, his beloved wife of 53 years. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his children: Robert (Linda) Brunner of Waukesha and Sandra (Robert) Mills of Oconomowoc; grandchildren Tyler Brunner of Waukesha, Kaitlin (Michael) Poliak of Appleton, Carli Brunner of San Francisco, and Jessica (Greg) Guenther of Chicago; and great-granddaughter, Evelyn Mills Poliak, who adored her G-Papa. He is further survived by his brothers and sisters: William (Karen) Brunner, Richard (Kathy) Brunner, Barbara (Thomas) LeVan, and Ruth (Fred) Sedlacek. Six siblings and their spouses preceded him in death: Catherine (John) Gimler, Emma (George) Buse, Elizabeth(Joseph) Petrie, Anna (Ervin/Bill) Kumm, Joseph (Marlene) Brunner, Charles (Carolyn) Brunner as well as infant brother, Frank. Also survived by nieces, nephews, other family, friends and grandpuppies.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2019, from 9:30am until the 11:30am Funeral Mass, all at St. Mary Catholic Church, 225 S. Hartwell Avenue in Waukesha. Graveside services will follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery.

Memorials are appreciated to St. Joseph Catholic Church or to The Garden Fund at Avalon Square.