Earl James Brunette
December 24, 1919 to January 3, 2009 Earl James Brunette, 89, of Maple Valley died peacefully on January 3, 2009, following a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s. He is survived by his faithful wife of 59 years, Betty Lou (Modin), and sons Bruce (Cora), Earl Jr., Steve (Karen), Larry Brunette, and daughter Marsha (Ray) Hill. He is also survived by his sisters Doris Hartgrave, Grace Reichert, Marie Brunette, Patricia Dugan, and brother Carl Brunette, 13 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carolyn and Louis Brunette, sisters June Ho˜ and Sylvia Holcomb, and brother Sonny Brunette. Earl came into this world as one of nine children, born in Ogema, MN and was surrounded by an extended family of aunts and uncles that were his same age. He cherished them as special friends. As a young man he worked under the National Youth Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota, and also served 4 years in the Armed Forces during World War II. He spent time overseas in Normandy, Northern France, and Germany and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he moved to the Puget Sound area of Washington and settled in Maple Valley where he lived for 57 years. Before retiring in1982, Earl worked 35 years for the Boeing Corporation and was a member of the Aero Machinists Union. He was an avid sportsman and instilled a love for the outdoors to his sons and daughter and taught them all how to ÿ sh and hunt safely. The family enjoyed spending time together, ÿ shing and hunting and camping all over Washington state and he supported his children by attending their athletic events, whether it was baseball, wrestling or dance recitals. When you saw Earl, you saw his family, when you saw his family, Earl was always there too. He was an avid Mariners fan and faithfully followed their successes and difficulties throughout the years. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at St. Barbara’s Church in Black Diamond, WA on February 6 at 11:00 AM, with a graveside service following at 3:00 PM at the Tahoma National Cemetery.
