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Descendants of Wallace “Wally” Clarence Bruner
Generation No. 1
1. WALLACE “WALLY” CLARENCE3 BRUNER (WALLACE ALBERT2, ALBERT THEODRE1) was born March 04, 1931 in Woodbury County, Iowa, and died November 03, 1997 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana. He married (1) PATRICIA RAY THOMAS June 05, 1949 in Perry County IN, daughter of RAYMOND THOMAS and MARY WEANER. She was born November 07, 1931 in Downs, McLean County, Illinois, and died November 16, 2011 in Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana. He married (2) NATALIE MARY MARTIN August 03, 1968, daughter of STEPHEN MARTIN and NATALIE MAMULA. She was born August 02, 1936 in Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana.
Notes for WALLACE “WALLY” CLARENCE BRUNER:
Host of TV’s “What’s My Line” after John Daly left. Appeared in other various TV and radio endeavors.
“Bruner, a former ABC News correspondent and host of the television show What’s My Line?, died of liver cancer Monday in Indianapolis. He was 66. He became an ABC News correspondent in 1965 and covered the White House, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic. A year later, Bruner became an anchor at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., and from 1968 to 1972 he was the host of CBS’ What’s My Line? – a show on which blindfolded panelists quizzed mystery guests in the hope of guessing their identities. During the early 1970s, he and his wife, Natalie, produced and were the hosts of one of television’s first home-improvement programs. Wally’s Workshop was syndicated in 80 markets, running from 1971 to the mid-1980s.”
BRUNER, WALLY: 1931-
Wally Bruner was born in Woodbury County, Iowa, on March 4, 1931, the son of Wallace and Audrey Scott Bruner. However, two articles in the INDIANAPOLIS STAR (June 18, 1972 and July 30, 1978) and the dust jacket of the book listed below state that he is a native of Tell City, Ind. He attended Indiana University. On Aug. 3, 1968, he married Natalie Martin. Since 1951 Brunet has held several positions in radio and television, including performer, writer, owner, correspondent, and show host. He and his wife have co-authored more than twenty-five pamphlets on repair work and related topics.
More About WALLACE “WALLY” CLARENCE BRUNER:
Burial: Greenwood Cemetery
Notes for PATRICIA RAY THOMAS:
TELL CITY – Patricia Ray Thomas Bruner, mother, teacher, writer and political activist, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, at Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Patricia Ray Thomas was born Nov. 7, 1931, in Downs, Ill. She was the oldest of Raymond A. and Mary Alice Weaner Thomas’ four children. Prior to his induction into the U.S. Navy during World War II, Raymond relocated his family from Taylor Ridge to the family homestead near Derby. Patricia graduated from Tell City High School as salutatorian in 1949.
At the age of 17, she married Wallace (Wally) Bruner, also of Tell City. Over the ensuing 15 years, she traveled across the United States as a two-year stint in the U.S. Air Force and work took the couple from Indiana to Phoenix, Ariz., to Washington, D.C. During that time, Ms. Bruner worked as a radio station manager, copywriter and advertising executive, while bearing 10 children.
Following their divorce in 1965, Ms. Bruner chose to remain in Washington D.C. to raise her family. She served as managing editor of the Catholic Voice of Washington D.C. newspaper until 1973, where she was often at odds with the Conference of Catholic Bishops over the issues of birth control, the role of women in the church, the death penalty and the Vietnam War. A pro-life liberal, she believed that being pro-life meant caring for children after they are born as well as before. She was a lifelong advocate for children, opening her home to hundreds of teenagers seeking safety, mentoring and fostering. The house eventually earned the unofficial title of Bruner Community Center. As a staunch opponent of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, she also opened her home to anti-war protesters, U.S. servicemen and women, and other groups seeking redress of grievances against the U.S. government. After the high school graduation of her youngest child, she returned to college, eventually earning a degree in urban and regional planning. Following her graduation from college, she relocated to Dayton, Ohio and spent the next 15 years helping workers displaced by the off shoring of manufacturing jobs develop new skills so that they could re-enter the job market. In 1993, she retired and moved back to southern Indiana to be closer to her parents. She continued to write, research Thomas family genealogy and to teach and counsel the children of Perry County until her final illness.
Surviving are her children, Rick (Ginny) Bruner of Chicago, Ill., Mike (Kathy) Bruner of Greenwood, Ted (Carol) Bruner of Bound Brook, N.J., Tim (Sydney) Bruner of Laurel, Md., Kathy Bruner of Bloomington, Kevin (Gloria) Bruner of Bloomington and Kris Bruner of Ellettsville; her brothers, Dr. John Thomas of Columbus, Ohio, and Dr. James Thomas of Cumberland, Ky.; 18 grandchildren, Christie and Josh Cataldo, Kyle Bruner and Sarah Brown, Kelly Wright, Jennifer Casselberry, Bonnie, James, Jason and Michelle Bruner, Carrie Cristinzio and Ryan Blackwell, Tim, Silas, Michael, Gabrielle and Katrine Bruner; great-grandchildren, Max, Sam and Jack Cristinzio, Bailey Blackwell, Mackenzie Wilmoth and Evan Bruner, Derek Brock, Alex and Curtis Cataldo, Tristan Harvey and Lily Bruner.
Preceding her in death are her parents, Raymond and Mary Alice (Weaner) Thomas; her daughters, Sherri Bruner-Osteen and infant Bonnie, and a brother, Gerry Thomas.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 21 (today) at St. Augustine Catholic Church. The Rev. Brian Esarey will officiate. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery in Derby. Visitation was set for 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20 and from 9 to 10:15 a.m. today at Zoercher-Gillick Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Augustine Catholic Church
More About PATRICIA RAY THOMAS:
Burial: St. Mary Cemetery in Derby, Indiana
Notes for NATALIE MARY MARTIN:
BRUNER, NATALIE MARTIN (MRS. WALLY): 1936-
Natalie Martin was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Aug. 2, 1936, the daughter of Stephen and Natalie Mamula Martin. She received the B.A. degree (1958) from Northwestern University. On Aug. 3, 1968, she married Wally Brunet. Mrs. Bruner was a press secretary (1960-68) for Senator George Smathers of Florida. With her husband she has co-authored more than twenty-five pamphlets on repair work and related topics
Children of WALLACE BRUNER and PATRICIA THOMAS are:
i. RICKEY4 BRUNER, b. 1950; m. VIRGINIA ??.
ii. SHERRI LYN BRUNER, b. July 10, 1951; m. AUBREY OSTEEN.
Notes for SHERRI LYN BRUNER:
BLOOMINGTON – Sherri Lyn Bruner-Osteen of Ellettsville, 59, formerly of Hickory Valley, Tenn., passed away Saturday, July 31, 2010, at Bloomington Memorial Hospital surrounded by family and friends after a courageous battle with cancer.
She was born July 10, 1951, in Tell City, the daughter of Wallace “Wally” Clarence Bruner and Patricia Ray (Thomas) Bruner. She was preceded in death by her father, Wally Bruner; a sister, Bonnie Susan Bruner; a brother, John Patrick Bruner, who died in infancy; her maternal grandparents, Mary Alice and Raymond A. Thomas and her paternal grandparents, Audrey and Wallace A. Bruner.
Sherri was a loving and devoted wife, daughter, sister and friend to many whose lives she touched in her special way.
Since 2003, Sherri was the editor-in-chief of The Bulletin–Times Newspaper in Bolivar, Tenn., before retiring last year due to health concerns and moving to the Bloomington area. Prior to that, she was an award-winning investigative reporter and writer for the Fayette County Review and held accounting manager roles at sister newspapers, Mid South Horse Review and the Southern Livestock Review.
She was a strong advocate for the humane treatment of animals and was instrumental in founding animal rescue organizations in Hardeman County, Tenn., in 2005.
In the 1990s, Sherri and partner Lucy Cogbill operated Cogbill’s Store and Museum in historic LaGrange, Tenn., which was lauded near and far for its antiques, local crafts and nostalgic atmosphere.
Sherri moved to Fayette County, Tenn., in 1981 to help manage a federally funded rural health-care study and later held administrative roles at area agencies providing job training and employment programs for the disabled.
Before moving to Tennessee, Sherri was a research consultant and analyst in the Washington, D.C. area in various positions for the Urban Institute, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Labor and the Legal Services Corp. in the 1970s and 1980s.
Just after high school, Sherri worked as a volunteer and fundraiser in Washington, D.C., helping to bring attention and an end to deplorable conditions and outdated programs at Forest Haven, a public institution for the mentally disabled.
She is survived by her husband of 23 years, Aubrey Osteen of Ellettsville; her mother, Patricia Bruner of Tell City; her stepmother, Natalie Bruner of Indianapolis; three sisters, Kathryn Bruner of Bloomington, Kristine Bruner of Ellettsville and Natalie Bruner and her husband, Alan Graeff of Bethesda, Md.; six brothers, Rickey Bruner and his wife, Virginia, of Chicago; Michael Bruner and his wife, Kathleen, of Whiteland; Ted Bruner and his wife, Carol, of Bound Brook, N.J.; Timothy Bruner and his wife, Sydney, of Laurel, Md.; Kevin Bruner and his wife, Gloria, of Bloomington and Wally Bruner and his fiancée, Tanya Ballew of Indianapolis. Also surviving are 21 nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at Saint Paul Catholic Church in Bloomington. A memorial Mass and burial service will be held in Perry County at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Hardeman County Animal Rescue, Bolivar, Tenn., or to a favorite.
iii. MICHAEL BRUNER, b. 1952; m. KATHLEEN ??.
iv. TED BRUNER, b. 1954; m. CAROL ??.
v. TIM BRUNER, b. 1954.
2. vi. KATHRYN BRUNER, b. 1955.
vii. KEVIN BRUNER, b. 1955; m. GLORIA STEARNS.
viii. KRISTINE BRUNER, b. 1957.
ix. BONNIE SUSAN BRUNER, b. June 01, 1958, Tell City, IN; d. November 24, 1958.
More About BONNIE SUSAN BRUNER:
Burial: Mount Calvary Cemetery, Vincennes, IN
x. JOHN PATRICK BRUNER, b. infancy.
Children of WALLACE BRUNER and NATALIE MARTIN are:
xi. WALLACE STEPHEN “WALLY”4 BRUNER, JR., b. Abt. 1971; m. (1) ELLEN R. JAMESON, July 30, 1994, Muncie, Delaware, Indiana; b. Abt. 1970; m. (2) TONYA MARIE BALLEW, August 17, 2010, Marion co., IN.
xii. NATALIE “LEE” BRUNER, m. ALAN GRAEFF.
Generation No. 2
2. KATHRYN4 BRUNER (WALLACE “WALLY” CLARENCE3, WALLACE ALBERT2, ALBERT THEODRE1) was born 1955. She married JOHN O’BRIEN.
Child of KATHRYN BRUNER and JOHN O’BRIEN is:
i. TIMOTHY SCOTT5 BRUNER, b. June 17, 1986, Washington, D.C; d. November 30, 2019, Bloomington; m. SYDNEY ??.
Notes for TIMOTHY SCOTT BRUNER:
“Timothy Scott Bruner, 33, known affectionately as Tim or Timbo Slice, passed away suddenly November 30, 2019 at his Bloomington home.
He was born June 17, 1986 in Washington, D.C., the son of Kathryn Mary Bruner and John O’Brien. He moved to Toronto, Ontario and lived there with the L’Arche community from 6 months old to 12 years old. Tim graduated from Harmony School, Bloomington, in 2004 and attended Indiana University.
Tim had a beautiful life in Canada. He was loved and reared there by a community of friends. He loved playing pick up hockey with friends on the frozen pond outside his house. Tim enjoyed cross-country biking with the DeCycles group, reached legendary levels on Halo video games and became a consummate movie buff after a stint as a movie theater usher in high school. Right out of high school, he was employed for several years as a manager and waiter at local restaurants, including Farm Bloomington, Malibu Grill, and Grazie Italiano. Tim’s skills and wit greatly enhanced many a patron’s culinary experience and he took great pride in his work.
He was most recently employed at Catalent Pharma Solutions and also worked for years as a part-time carpenter with his uncle, Kevin Bruner, a local contractor. Tim also had worked as a teacher’s aide at Binford and Templeton Elementary Schools, where students and teachers alike valued his special care in performing his job.
He was a loving son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend to many. He was very charismatic, outgoing and charming, and often lent friends and even strangers a hand on the spur of the moment. All will miss his great bear hugs and his bright blue eyes.
He was preceded in death by his father, John O’Brien, and his maternal grandparents, Wallace Clarence “Wally” Bruner, and Patricia Ray (Thomas) Bruner. Tim was also preceded in death by his aunts, Sherri Lyn Bruner-Osteen and Bonnie Susan Bruner; an uncle, John Patrick Bruner, and a first cousin, Kyle Nicholas Bruner.
He is survived by his mother, Kathryn Mary Bruner, of Bloomington, sister, Sarah Bruner, of Indianapolis, step-grandmother, Natalie Bruner, of Indianapolis, uncles and aunts, Rickey and Virginia Bruner, of Monroe, Wis., Michael and Kathleen Bruner, of Whiteland, Ted and Carol Bruner, of Marshall, N.C., Tim and Sydney Bruner, of Laurel, Md., Kevin and Gloria Stearns-Bruner, of Bloomington, Kris Bruner, of Ellettsville, Wally Bruner and his wife, Tonya Ballew, of Indianapolis, and Natalie Bruner and her husband, Alan Graeff, of Bethesda, Md. He is also survived by 18 first cousins, and his faithful side-kick, Louie the cat.
A celebration of Tim’s life will be held Saturday, Dec. 14 at 1 p.m., at Grazie Italiano Restaurant, 106 W. 6th St., Bloomington.
Friends have set up a sustaining fund at Harmony School in Tim’s honor. Those wishing to contribute may contact fern@harmonyschool.org for details. Arrangements by Allen Funeral Home and Crematorium in Bloomington.