Eldred Brunner

Eldred Brunner, "Ed" passed away peacefully with his family at his side in Holladay, Utah on Sunday, Oct. 21.
Eldred was born on Sept. 27, 1940 to Edward and Erna Brunner, and grew up in Bainville, Montana on the family farm, one of fourteen brothers and sisters.
All of the 16 family members had names that began with the letter E.
He graduated from Bainville High School in 1959.
He served his country in the US Army, and received his Jungle Expert patch upon graduating from the Jungle Operations Training Center at Fort Sherman, Panama.
Upon his honorable discharge from the Army with the rank of Corporal, he returned home to Montana and on a Saturday night at the State Line Club on the Montana-North Dakota border, met Evie Stiehl, his future wife.
They were married in Williston, ND, in 1963, and in 1964 moved to Salt Lake City. There he began a successful career at Tooele Army Depot, and remained there until his retirement.
He was also fascinated with aviation and in the early seventies became a private pilot.
The necessities of growing up on a farm in eastern Montana in the forties and early fifties nurtured his natural ability to fix or refurbish things. As he matured these talents grew to be recognized as an almost supernatural ability to diagnose and repair almost any mechanical system.
In later years friends and family would "consult the oracle" on any question regarding a mechanical problem, and the advice, or more often, hands on assistance, would be freely given.
He was uniquely blessed with a mechanical ability and viewed gifting it in the service of others as an expression of friendship and love.
His sons first cars were purchased and restored to classic condition under his watchful mentoring. The sons still own the cars their father helped them build. Over the course of his life he restored many cars, he was proudest of his 1947 Willy's Jeep, Evie's first car, a 1951 Ford, and his 1965 Mustang.
He also cultivated an outstanding ability for colorful metaphor, leaving brilliant, unmatched, and enduring verbal tapestries hanging in the air, the weaving of which ran up a $200 bill with his grandson, one quarter at a time.
He was an avid outdoorsman, wilderness and wild things being his primary form of recreation, and shared many hunting, fishing, and prospecting trips with his family and friends, the precious memories of which will always endure.
He earned that greatest of compliments that can be given to a fisherman: He was a good fisherman. His sons and grandson honor his memory with every cast.
His love for the western way of life and took him and his family to the Redwood Drive Inn for every new John Wayne movie. Doris Day, Johnny Cash, Don Williams and Dean Martin along with many other classics of country music could always be heard playing on the eight track player in the camper.
He became to most, if not all, their hero, teacher, and friend.
He will be greatly missed, but forever remembered for his kindness and help to all he met.
His retirement was spent happily working on the family farm in North Dakota, fishing at any opportunity, and enjoying his property near Duchesne, Utah.
He viewed his last recourse against his terminal illness as how he acted. Not being able to control the outcome, he instead controlled the elegance of his behavior, and in doing so had the final word in regard to his illness.
He is survived by Evie, his sons Jason and Jody, his grandson Dylan, brothers Elwyn and Ellis, and sisters Elizabeth, Eleanora, Ellen, Elma, Elona, and Elverna.
A celebration of his life will be held from 4 to 8 pm, Saturday, Oct. 27 in the banquet room at Anna's Restaurant in Ivy Place, 4700 S 900 E.