Kelly Floyd Brunner

A viewing will be from 11:00am to 12:30pm, Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at Westway Church, 1701 W 27th St, Scottsbluff. Celebration of Kelly's life will follow at 1:00pm. After the Celebration there will be a procession to Fairview Cemetery.

Following the interment at Fairview Cemetery, please join us for food, music, fellowship, and more fishing stories at the American Legion, 1425 9th St., Gering, Nebraska.

Kelly was born on February 19, 1959, in Scottsbluff, to Floyd D. Brunner and Violet R. Stitt. He was the oldest of three children and grew up in the Panhandle, graduating from Gering High School in 1977. Kelly loved living his “life in the fast lane.” Whether it was in his ’69 Mach 1 Mustang or on his Kawasaki H2, Kelly and his friends always seemed to find themselves in misadventures, but through it all, they remained lifelong friends. Not only did Kelly love driving fast cars, but he also loved restoring them and spent time in California with his Uncle Eddie, part of which included painting cars for the movie American Graffiti. He was also a gifted mechanic.

After high school, Kelly began work at the Sugar Factory in Scottsbluff and married Linda Bucy in August of 1978. In this union, they had two daughters. In 1979, he began his lifelong employment with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, where he worked for 40 years. Kelly would later meet and marry the love of his life, Shannon S. Strey, on April 23, 1988, with whom he had another daughter and two sons. They made their first home in Gering before moving to rural Scottsbluff to give Kelly more space to pursue his passion for working on cars, to provide more room for their family to grow, and to host numerous gatherings of family and friends where they would enjoy fish fries, live music, and Kelly singing karaoke until the sun came up, if his family would let him.

Kelly had ten grandchildren and loved sharing his passion for fishing with them. In the summers, there were often only a handful of places you would find Kelly, on the lake or in the garden. On the water, Kelly enjoyed fishing from a young age and was an avid fisherman who participated in fishing tournaments, which later allowed him to get his famous “Skeeter.” You would find Kelly out on the lake casting a line with his favorite fishing buddies or endangering the lives of his children by pulling them behind the boat while water skiing and tubing.

In his retirement, Kelly developed a strong passion for gardening. This led him to construct two greenhouses with the assistance of family and friends, as well as to annually plant hundreds of vegetables in his garden.

Kelly would want it known that he considered the relationships he built at the railroad to be his other family. Over the years, they generously supported one another and the community during times of need.

Kelly is survived by his wife, Shannon; his children, Stephanie (Chad) Keller, Brandi Brunner, Samantha (Sean) Williams, Tyler (Ashly) Brunner, and Trevor Brunner; his grandchildren, Kole, Blaine, Logan, Liam, Julia, Dally, Lilith, Steven, Arabella, and Asher; his mother, Violet Brunner; and his sister, Kim, and her two children, Kerry (Jessica) Halte and Brittany Halte. Last but not least, his beloved fur babies, Margot, Jazzy, and Kitty.

He was preceded in death by his father, Floyd; his brother, Kerry; and several grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

The family extends a special thank you to the doctors, nurses, and staff at M.D. Anderson Greeley/Loveland Campus in Greeley, Colorado who walked alongside him through his treatment, checked on him regularly, and cared for him so genuinely until the very end.

In lieu of flowers, the family will be establishing a memorial in Kelly's honor at a later date. If you wish to make a donation at this time, please make it directly to the family.