Terrance "Terry" Brungardt was born October 7th, 1939, just outside Victoria, KS, the second of five children born to Sylvester and Beata “Betty” (née Karlin) Brungardt. He was raised near Grinnell, KS and in Hays, KS. He passed away in Roeland Park, KS on November 10th, 2025.
Terry was a proud third-generation American born of Volga-Deutsch heritage, with deep roots in Northwest Kansas. He felt those two items, along with a Roman Catholic upbringing and his long-time membership in the Democratic Party, were major influences on his life.
Graduating from Fort Hays State College in 1961 with a Bachelor's in Sociology, he began his career in education by going to British North Borneo in 1962 to teach English as a Second Language for a year with the Peace Corps. That was followed by earning a Master’s in Sociology in 1965 from the University of Kansas. He then returned to teaching, this time at the college level in Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, retiring from education in 2006. During that time, he earned a PhD in Sociology from KU in 1973, participated in research in senior-level intelligence, and co-authored a Criminology textbook.
Terry dedicated many years to teaching Sociology at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, KS. As part of his classes, Terry would on occasion use albums from his record collection. That collection had a wide variety of subjects: Country and Western, American Folk, Irish Folk (including songs of rebellion), Irish Drinking Songs, German Beir Garten music, 30s and 40s Big Bands, Hawaiian music, romantic ballads, and Cowboy songs. Terry would also be the first to admit that he had little musical talent himself!
After retiring from teaching, Terry worked part-time for Riverside Resources of Leavenworth, KS. He assisted with maintenance for group homes for developmentally disabled people.
Terry is survived by his wife of 34 years, Karen Baker, his children Patrick Brungardt and his wife LeAnne Foust, Jessica Oertel and her husband Brian Oertel with their children Conor and Ally, Nate Baker and his wife Randi Davis with their children Ava and Hudson, and Ben Brungardt and his partner Cynthia Rahija with their child Sylvester Brungardt, as well as multiple siblings, nephews, nieces, and cousins.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at McGilley and Hoge Funeral Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kansas 66204.
In lieu of flowers, Terry and the family request that memorial donations be made to either the Terrance M. Brungardt endowed scholarship at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, KS, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.
