Barbara Joan Brunck

Barbara Brunck, age 94,  went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at Carveth Village, Middleville, MI.

She was born on November 9, 1926 in Lancaster, New York, soon after her family moved to the U.S. from Canada.  She was the daughter of James Beatty Whittaker and Vella (Martyn) Whittaker.  She graduated from Depew (NY) High School, and was employed as a secretary in her early adult years before becoming a homemaker and a loving mom to her two children, her favorite job of all.

Barbara married Harold (Harry) William Brunck on September 6, 1947 in Town Line, New York and celebrated 62 years of marriage.  They lived in multiple locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.  Together they enjoyed traveling,  celebrating anniversaries on Mackinac Island, and making family memories at Allegany State Park, NY, and Rose Lake, MI.   They developed close friendships with Vietnamese families whom they assisted in adapting to life in the U.S.

Barbara was a member of several Lutheran churches and in later years received pastoral care through First Presbyterian Church in Hastings.  She loved the Lord and spent her life serving others.  She most enjoyed spending quality time with her family and also gardening, quilting, making dollhouse miniatures, and caring for their dogs.  Barb was an avid and excellent letter writer who stayed in contact with all her family, including Canadian relatives with whom she had little in-person contact, but developed close bonds through emails.  She was a patriotic American with pride in her Canadian heritage.  She was always happy to have a cup of tea with anyone who visited.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Ruth L. Mikolin and Norma Branden, brother Gerald Whittaker, and son Terence K Brunck.

She is survived by her daughter, Patricia (Eldon) Cassell, Hastings, MI;  grandchildren, Matthew (Donna) Cassell, Ann Arbor, MI, Emily (James) Dixon, Grand Rapids, MI, and Elizabeth (Grant) Webster, Caledonia, MI;  and great-grandchildren, Bradley and Marcus Dixon, Leo, Mila, and Evie Webster, and Griffin and Madeline Cassell;  nephews, Thomas (Linda) Branden, Depew, NY, James (Michelle) Branden, Alden, NY, and Robert (Sharon) Meyer, Starkville, MS;  nieces, Diane McIntosh, Elkhart, IN, and Lynn Glasscock, Portales, NM;  and cousins Rowland (Sharron) Martyn, Murillo, Ontario and Helen (Terry) Atkinson, LeDuc, Alberta.

Barb's family is grateful for the loving care provided for her by all the staff at Carveth Village, Interim Hospice, and Drs. Paul DeWitt and David Parker.

A family memorial service will be held in the spring and burial will be at Lancaster Rural Cemetery, Lancaster, NY.

Arrangements by Girrbach Funeral Home. To leave online condolences visit www.girrbachfuneralhome.net.