116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Brunko, Elaine F.
Elaine F. Brunko, 95, of Brandon, died Thursday, June 20, 2013, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids.
She was born Dec. 1, 1917, in Brandon, the daughter of Clarence J. and Florence Amelia (Jacobs) Rouse. She graduated from the Brandon High School in 1934, and then earned her teaching credentials at Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls. She taught in the Buchanan County country schools and in Urbana. On July 1, 1938, she and Willard Charles Brunko were married at the Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa. He preceded her in death in 2002.
Mrs. Brunko was a member of the Brandon United Methodist Church (83 years), United Methodist Women (60 years, five years as president), the Brandon Garden Club and the Brandon Red Hat Ladies. She was a volunteer for Cedar Valley Hospice, the Independence Senior Center and Taylor School in Cedar Rapids.
Elaine's focus in life was her husband, children, many grandchildren and great grandchildren and her Christian Faith. Her hobbies were sewing, gardening, quilting, cooking and pie baking and playing Scrabble. She was known as “Apple” Grandma to one family and “Scrabble” Grandma to another. Elaine arrived in Heaven in time to celebrate her 75th wedding anniversary with Willard on July 1st.
Mrs. Brunko is survived by two sons, Gary (Cathy) Brunko of Orem, Utah, and Darrell (Kim) Brunko of Brandon; three daughters, Eloise (Bill) Baldwin of Fairbank, Chris Schultz of Ankeny and Anne Marie Brunko of Brandon; 20 grandchildren; and 43 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; one daughter in infancy; one son-in-law, Gary Schultz; one grandson; one granddaughter; three brothers, Harold Rouse, Wayne Rouse and Gerald Rouse; and three sisters, Georgia West, Lula Decker and one infant.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 24, at the United Methodist Church in Brandon, with Pastor Lanette Van officiating. Burial will be in Brandon Cemetery in Brandon. White Funeral Home of Independence is in charge of arrangements. Friends may call from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at the funeral home.
Online condolences may be left at .
Published in The Gazette June 22, 2013.
Daily Newsletters