Shirley Elizabeth Bruns' Obituary
Birttia (Shirley) Elizabeth Bruns
Our Mother was born in Gate City,Virginia on May 25, 1929. She died in April of 2025 at the age
of 95. Her given name is Birttia, however, she got the nickname of Shirley early on and used it the rest
of her life. She had a sister named Charlotte and brothers Carson and Ballard. Her hair was bright
red. She was raised in the mountains of Appalachia and was a coal miner's daughter. Life was
difficult and you had to make do with what you had. This made her a resourceful person all her life.
Her father decided that he and his two daughters should head west where there were more
opportunities. They ended up in Portland, Oregon. Mom married Edward H. Bruns in 1948 while
living in Portland. Edward died in 1967 and she never remarried.
Family lore says that Mom worked in the Portland shipyards and learned to weld. I can't verify that she
worked in the shipyards, but somewhere along the line she learned to weld. Her welding skills were
known by one of her neighbors in Ballard, Washington. This particular neighbor happened to be
welding in his yard and Mom came up to him and said : “I can do that”. Mom had to have been in her
late 60's at this time and the neighbor was highly skeptical of her ability. Nevertheless, he fixed her up
with the equipment and was stunned when she drew a beautiful welding bead.
Since Mom was raised in the country, she had learned some home remedies. Us kids were pupils in
Mom's 'school of medicine'. One remedy I vividly remember was her home made cough syrup. She
would cut up a bunch of onions and bake them in the oven until the juices accumulated in the pan.
Then she would take the onion juice and add honey to it. Taking this concoction was not pleasant. I
think she thought the cough syrup worked because she didn't hear us coughing. The reality was, we
tried our best not to let her hear us cough so we wouldn't get another spoonful of cough syrup.
Mom was a great cook. Her home cooking was made from scratch. She of course made southern fried
chicken which was just the best. Her pot roasts and meatloaf were terrific. She made wonderful
cobblers. One time my sister Anna was pining for a blackberry cobbler. Mom told us she would make
it, but we had to go pick the berries. We were right on it and that night we were treated to a great
dessert. One time when we came home from school, the power was out. Mom was down in the
basement cooking dinner on an old wood stove. She said she used to cook on a wood stove back
home. The dinner came out perfect just as if she had used a modern stove.
Mom enjoyed lively music like polkas. Country music was always heard in the house. Her and
daughter Linda loved to go to all sorts of concerts. She did needlepoint and finished many beautiful
pictures. She loved going to Seattle Mariners games. Mom was always doing something, she was not
a sedentary person. Her southern accent lessened through the years but was never completely gone.
She never lost her ability to turn on the southern charm.
Mom had 6 children. Sons Dennis Bruns, David Bruns, and Ed Phelps. Daughters Anna Bruns
(deceased), Nancy Hall, and Linda Shook.
Most importantly, Mom was a believer in Jesus Christ as her savior. When we pass away, we know we
will be with her and the rest of the family once again. Mom was a hard worker all her life and now she
is at peace. We love you Mom.
Submitted by Nancy Hall
What’s your fondest memory of Shirley?
What’s a lesson you learned from Shirley?
Share a story where Shirley's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Shirley you’ll never forget.
How did Shirley make you smile?