You can’t talk about Gearld Brunson without talking about hard work. This was where he thrived and felt most comfortable. His early years on the farm, chopping cotton, bucking hay and picking Porter peaches were some of his fondest memories. Gearld could grow anything in the ground and even turned his entire backyard into a raised garden after moving to Owasso. Gearld loved looking for old cars and tractors, specifically Ford Broncos and John Deere tractors and farm implements. Gearld would speak fondly of working on the farm with his dad, what the implements were used for and what type of bodily harm could come from each one. Gearld loved bass fishing and being out on a bass boat. He competed in countless bass tournaments and was known to fish an entire day without a break, regardless of the heat, cold or the many requests to please take a break. In fact, the only thing that would push him off the water was lightening. It’s an odd feeling to pray for lightening while out on the water. In later years, Gearld loved spending time with his grandkids, Hayden and Holley and his adopted grandkids Dylan and Nick who he took on countless trips to the Zoo, Chuck E Cheese and any fast-food restaurant with a playground. Gearld lived for these moments and were some of his favorite memories. Gearld attended baseball and soccer games along with practices so he could watch Hayden and Holley. Oftentimes, you could find Gearld instructing umpires, from behind the plate, on the proper strike zone they needed to use since his grandson was pitching. At soccer games, he just wanted to see Holley run fast and hit people because soccer just didn’t make a lot of sense to him. Gearld also loved eating BBQ, a passion he passed down. Later on, Gearld competed with his son, Guy in KCBS BBQ contests all over the Midwest. Gearld could be heard telling Guy what he was doing wrong, how he should do it right and telling all the other cooks that Guy was just hard headed. This was Gearld in his element, making jokes, having fun and making friends. Gearld loved to laugh and talk to people and rarely met a stranger. Gearld also had many memorable sayings, such as “Boo, nuttier than a peach orchard boar, this room looks like a hog pond and his favorite, listen, let me tell you what you need to do”. Gearld also had great advice and personal philosophies, “ Always punch first, the first punch wins, work at your job like it’s your company and money, always help people if you can, you never know if it’s an angel in disguise”. In fact, besides hard work, Gearld was known for generosity. Besides Guy, Gerald looked at Jerry “little Jerry” Young and Keith Lunsford as his own sons and was always willing to be there for them at any time. It didn’t stop there; Gearld has countless friends that he would help at a moment’s notice. He loved those opportunities to work on a car, fix a tractor, remodel a house or to just buy a meal for a person. Gearld’s generosity came from his love for the Lord. Gearld faced many losses early in life, but he always knew the Lord would see him through. Gearld’s faith sustained him, and he met his wife of 51 years, Karen, and they made up a powerful team that worked, sacrificed, and kept many family members grounded in faith and security. Gearld had seen the tougher side of life and understood that faith, family, and a strong work ethic overcame anything thrown at him. In the end, Gearld looked forward to meeting his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If there’s a break room in Heaven, he’s in there playing dominoes and yanking people’s chains to throw them off their game. If there’s a bass boat and a lake, he’s out there ripping lips and not taking a break, if there’s somebody working on a tractor, he’s there helping them, if there’s BBQ he’s eating it with a smile and offering up advice for next time. If there’s a stranger, he’s talking to them, finding out their life story and making a new friend.
Gearld Clyde Brunson July 7, 1943 – Jan 4, 2023
