Harlan Edward Brunner

Harlan Edward Brunner, age 82 of Savanna, Illinois, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2020 at Allure Nursing Home, Mt. Carroll, Illinois. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, June 19, 2020 at the Mt. Carroll Church of God, Mt. Carroll, Illinois. A visitation will take place from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, June 18, 2020 at the Church. Social distancing guidelines will be in effect, and wearing masks is encouraged. There will be no luncheon gathering following the service. A memorial fund has been established.

Harlan was born May 4, 1938, the son of Henry and Edna (Engleking) Brunner at the Savanna Hospital. Harlan attended Pleasant Hill Country School in a one room schoolhouse on Jacobstown Road. He served his country in the Army National Guard from 1961-67, being stationed in Kentucky and Fort Carson, Colorado. Harlan married Donetta Burkholder on August 2, 1964 in her hometown of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Together they raised three children and celebrated 55 years of marriage.

Harlan farmed for 30 years until his retirement in 1990, after which he sold promotional products and specialty advertising to local businesses. He was a very active member of the community, serving as a member of the Carroll Service Company Board, Carroll County Pork Producers, Mt. Carroll Rural Cemetery Board, Carroll County Soil & Water Conservation Committee, Mt. Carroll Ministerial Association, as well as Gideons International.

Harlan was a member of the Mt. Carroll Church of God, where he served as a visitation minister, and a small group leader. Harlan stayed busy throughout his retirement, volunteering his time as an election judge, mowing lawns and cemeteries, and attending tractor shows and productions at Timber Lake Playhouse. He also enjoyed traveling—visiting Alaska, Hawaii and the Smoky Mountains. Harlan especially loved spending time with his family and watching his grandchildren in all their activities.

Harlan will be dearly missed by his wife, Donetta, three children, Alan Brunner of Lanark, Janell (Dan) Hartman of Mt. Carroll and Kerwin (Angela) Brunner of Wausau, Wisconsin; three grandchildren, Daniel, Celia and Lydia; a sister, Henrietta (Fred) Grogg of Albion, Michigan; several nieces and nephews, and a sister-in-law, Alvena McGraw of New Ulm, Texas. Harlan is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Edna, and a brother-in-law.