Charles Lee Brunk

Charles Lee Brunk, 85, of Apollo Beach, Florida, passed away at home while in hospice care on October 13, 2024. Born on August 30, 1939, Charlie lived a fulfilling life marked by his love of learning and a kind heart. He was known for his unwavering dedication to his church and willingness to share his biblical knowledge. He was an active member at South Shore United Methodist Church where he sang in the choir, led the men's fellowship group, and served on many committees through the years.
Charlie was an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite teams play and following College Big 10 Basketball and Football. He kept up with Major League Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers and Rays, and attended games whenever his vacation schedule permitted visiting many different ball parks around the country. Living 30 years in Wisconsin hooked him on the Green Bay Packers, but he also loved the Bucs especially the Tom Brady era.
He achieved Life Master in the game of bridge and partnered with his wife in many bridge groups, even traveling to tournaments. He shared his knowledge of the game by mentoring new players.
Retirement afforded Charlie the opportunity to travel. He and Sharron loved cruises on the Caribbean, visiting many resorts in Mexico and taking several trips abroad to Europe. He especially loved revisiting Germany after his military years and enriching his classical studies with excursions to Italy and Greece. One of his most recent beloved vacations was with family, including wife, son, daughter-in-law, along with the grandchildren when all rendezvoused in Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific Ocean.
Charlie grew up in Bethalto, Illinois, and graduated from Civic Memorial High School. He then attended first semester at the University of Illinois until Spring when his money ran out. So, he enlisted in the army and would serve for 3 years which included an overseas deployment of about 2 years in Germany. Following his military stint, Charlie returned to Bethalto, found a 30-hour per week job with the U.S. Postal Service carrying mail and continued his education at the Southern Illinois University campus in Edwardsville.
He transferred back to the University of Illinois (U of I) Urbana for Senior year and completed his Bachelor's degree with a major in German and a minor in Latin. He continued his education at U of I where he met his wife in the master's program of Classical studies. After their marriage, realizing that a doctorate in Latin and Greek would provide limited employment opportunities, Charlie enrolled in the School of Library Science. Now trained as a catalog librarian, he secured an appointment with the Library at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee where he worked for 30 years as a foreign language cataloger. He was able to read in 12 different languages, so his catalog skills were valuable in many different fields.
After a lifetime of cold winters, Charlie and Sharron decided to retire to sunny Florida where they made their home in Apollo Beach for the last 20 plus years.
Charlie is survived by his wife of 56 years Sharron, son Jeffrey (Jennifer King) two grandchildren Zoe and Zachary Brunk; sister Mary Nickle (Duwayne), brother Jerry Wyatt (Barbara), 7 sisters-in-law, 4 brothers-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, William Arthur Brunk (Bonnie), his mother, Ora Belle Hamby Oliver (Willard); two sisters Joyce Henderson (Donald) and Peggy Forbes (Clyde.); a niece, Rebecca Byerly and a nephew, Joe Wyatt; also, a mother-in-law and father-in-law, Louise and Roy Barkdoll, 1 sister-in-law and, 4 brothers-in-law.
Charlie will be remembered for his lively mind, dedication to family, and unwavering faith. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
A celebration of life will be held at South Shore United Methodist Church 11525 Big Bend Rd Riverview FL 33579 on Saturday, October 26th, 2024, at 1:00 pm. Donations can be made in his honor to the church music program or a charity of the donor's choice.