Ollene Bruner
Ollene Bruner, a longtime resident of Williams, Arizona, died Jan. 24, 2017, at Bethesda Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care. Vernona Ollene Bruner was born March 13, 1922, in Jasper County, Missouri.
She grew up in the Great Depression era and lived in different parts of Missouri and Wyoming. Her family finally ended up back in Webb City, Missouri. It was while living there that she met her husband, Jim Bruner, who was an engineer for Boeing. They later married Oct. 5, 1941.
From there they moved to Wichita, Kansas, during World War II, where her husband worked on the B-52 bombers. She gave birth to their daughter, Mary, on Nov. 9, 1944. After the war, they moved to Holyoke, where Jim’s family was, and farmed for several years.
After her husband died on Feb. 22, 1968, she moved to Creede and opened a gift shop. Though she loved her beautiful mountains, she decided it was time to move to Arizona to be near her daughter and grandchildren.
While in New River, Arizona, she and her nephew opened a landscaping business. She then decided to move to Williams and started working in real estate with her dear friend Pat Wamble.
Once her great-grandchildren were born, she decided to retire and become a full-time grandmother. She enjoyed teaching piano to children, drawing and sewing. She was well-known for her love of the outdoors and excellent baking skills. She was a kind, gracious, loving woman who enjoyed adventure and always put her family first.
She is survived by her siblings, Gene Shirk, Floyd Shirk, Wanda George and Janelle Lewis; daughter, Mary Crosley; granddaughters, Pamela Garibay, Rhonda Norman and Sondra Johnson; and great-grandchildren, Lyssa Franck, Ashley Mulvihill, Kristen Garibay, Nick Garibay, Nicole Garibay, Natasha Lindquist, Desirae Lindquist, Austin Johnson, Abigail Johnson, Annabelle Johnson, Andrew Johnson and Bryce Johnson.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, www.nccc-online.org. Please make donations in Ollene Bruner’s name.
A celebration of life service was held in Williams Jan. 28. A second celebration of life service and interment was held in Holyoke Jan. 30.