Robert C. Brunner

River Hills Village President passed away at home in his 89th year on Sept 22, 2016. He was the loving father of Christine (Scott) Colby, Douglas Brunner (Jennifer Chirico) and Karen Robinson. Proud grandfather to Nicholas and Zachary Brunner; Kelly, Grant, and Kate Colby; and Jack and Wendy Robinson. He was preceded in death by his parents Gustave and Minnie Brunner, his sister Bernice Brunner, and his beloved wife of 52 years, Audrey Patricia (Frost) Brunner.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey. His father was a firefighter and his mother was a housewife. During WWII at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy and received an honorable discharge. He started his working career at Dun and Bradstreet while attending and graduating from Rutgers, New York University Graduate School and Harvard Business School. Bob was a member of Business Fraternities Delta Sigma Pi and Beta Gamma Sigma. He was also active in Free Masonry within a Blue Lodge, Scottish Rite, and Shrine Temple.

At age 26, he joined the bakery business as President of Dugan Brothers, followed by a position as GM for Thomas J. Lipton Company. He also lectured at Rutgers University Graduate School.

During a weekend trip to the town of Bay Head on the Jersey Shore, he met his future wife, Audrey Frost. Audrey and Bob married in Great Neck, Long Island in 1962. Audrey had been working as a stock and bond representative with AT&T. They lived in Greenwich Village, New York, then moved to Saddle River, New Jersey where their three children, Christine, Douglas, and Karen, were born. Bob and Audrey had a magical marriage. They had a true partnership and shared a wonderful life of family, service, and vast travels.

The family moved to Wisconsin when Bob became President of Holsum Foods. Public service was on his mind and when the opportunity to enter politics presented itself in 1976; he ran for and won the seat for Milwaukee County Supervisor.

Bob was appointed by Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus to Secretary of Business Development, Tourism and Minority Affairs. Bob and Audrey created many memories traveling on trade missions with the Governor to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Spain. He then accepted a position at the Public Expenditure Survey and Research Foundation, a private non-profit tax watchdog group. This was followed by an appointment by Governor Tommy Thompson to the Council on State-Local Relations.

Bob and Audrey were active on church committees where he served as Moderator of the North Shore Congregational Church and sang in the choir. He also served the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches as Chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee for 25 years.

Bob became a River Hills Trustee in 1988 and two years later was elected President, a position he has held until his passing. He pushed for an open, visible government, kept taxes low by finding inefficiencies, and sought to bring groups to the table so all voices were heard. He was known to have never missed a meeting. He was a Commissioner at Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Commission for 9 years and vice chair for 2 years, was founding Director and served as President of the North Shore Fire Department, and served as the Milwaukee County Emergency Medical Systems Council Director for 8 years.

Outside of his professional and public service, he enjoyed golf, swimming, playing the piano and spending time with his family. He had an appreciation of nature and wildlife and enjoyed the companionship of their three dogs. In his later years, Bob developed a wonderful group of friends at the North Suburban YMCA.

Bob was kind, generous, had a keen mind for business and an uncanny way of cultivating friendships with everyone he met. Bob and Audrey adored their 7 grandchildren who they often visited.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at NORTH SHORE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 7330 N Santa Monica Boulevard, Fox Point, Wisconsin at 11:00 AM on October 11th with a visitation from 10:00-11:00 AM.