Henry Adolph Brunner

HENRY BRUNNER was born in Indiana on October 9, 1919. His family moved to southern California when he was still a little boy, settling down in San Pedro. Henry, his brother and his two sisters spent much of their childhood on the large, lovely grounds of the Rancho Los Cerritos, where their father was the head gardener. Henry was blessed to grow up in surroundings of close family and caring stewardship, and those gifts would guide him throughout his life.

Henry himself began working as a young teenager, first as a paper boy and then as a short order cook at Galliger’s Cafeteria in Long Beach. Within a few years, he saved enough to purchase a home on Lime Avenue, in Long Beach, for his parents, before he graduated from high school. His loyalty to family and his sense of dutiful service had already developed when the United States entered the Second World War. Twenty years old at the time, Henry went to enlist in the Navy.

However, he did not meet the Navy’s height requirements and so Henry chose to enlist in the Army instead. He served with distinction in the European Theater as a sergeant in the Communications Corps, sometimes working stealthily behind enemy lines to secure telephone lines or clear the way, and he saw combat as well, fighting under General Patton in the Battle of the Bulge.

It was while posted in England that Henry met the person he held dearest in his life. Dorothy Ann Westwood, a young English woman, was attending a social for American troops when she spotted Henry across the way keeping guard duty over the motor pool in the cold rainy night. She took a few minutes to go offer him a plate of cookies, and wound up changing his life forever. Henry set out the next day to inquire who the lovely young woman was and quickly tracked her down. Shortly after finding Dorothy, Henry was sent to France to participate in D-Day, but he returned to England as soon as he could and before long they were married.

When the war ended, Henry remained in the Army and soon was called up to serve in the Korean Conflict. After that, he and Dorothy moved around a bit until Henry, having achieved the rank of Warrant Officer, elected to join the Army Reserves and begin life as a civilian. The young couple was able to settle down where Henry had begun, in southern California, and he found good employment at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Soon, they were enjoying family life: They had three sons – Paul, James and John – and Henry raised them by example through his tireless devotion to the Salvation Army, the Boy Scouts and the Masons.

Henry remained a grounded, prepared leader in his church and community throughout his years, watching his sons grow up and marry and have children of their own. He watched over his family and community, always with a glimmer in his eye for his lovely Dorothy and looking for a way make her day a little brighter, and a spring in his own step. And a few words of straight talk for everyone else.

Henry is survived by Dorothy; their three sons; grandchildren Mark, Thomas, Chris, Matthew and Kim; and great grandchildren Shawn, LeeAnn, Kevin, and Jeffery.

Arrangements under the direction of Westminster Memorial Park, 14801 Beach Blvd. Westminster, CA 92683. (714) 893-2421