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2011 SPECIAL SESSION I


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5051
Celebrating the life of Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, July 29, 2011
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, July 29, 2011
 

WHEREAS, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., was born on October 19, 1942, in the historic Jackson Ward community of Richmond, and entered into eternal life on April 20, 2011; and

WHEREAS, during his childhood, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., affectionately called “Bobby,” moved to the Church Hill area in Richmond; he completed his formal education in the Richmond City Public Schools, where he graduated from Armstrong High School in 1961; and

WHEREAS, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., found immense joy in helping others and his love of people was reflected in the occupations that he held during his lifetime and his chosen career as a mortician; and

WHEREAS, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., was employed at Railway Express and the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) as a driver; he began to fulfill his dream of becoming a mortician by working as an intern for the O. P. Chiles, Jr., Funeral Home; in 1968, while working for O. F. Howard, Jr., Funeral Home, he enrolled as a part-time student at John Tyler Community College, where he earned a degree in mortuary science in 1976; and after graduation from John Tyler Community College, he began his career as a mortician with O. P. Chiles, Jr., Funeral Home in Richmond, under a two-year apprenticeship; and

WHEREAS, in 1976, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., was licensed by the Commonwealth as a funeral services director; he founded several businesses, including the Ebony Construction Company and Brunson’s Embalming Service, and in 1982, he founded and operated until 1985 the Crawley and Brunson Funeral Home; in 1986, he was named manager of the Scott-Lightfoot Funeral Home in Richmond, where he worked for 15 years; and in May 2002, he founded Brunson’s Funeral Chapel to ensure the availability of respectable and affordable funeral services in the community; and

WHEREAS, as president and founder of Brunson’s Funeral Chapel, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., provided apprenticeships in the art of embalming for many persons training for a career in the funeral services industry; and

WHEREAS, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., was a member of the H. L. Harris Masonic Lodge and was actively involved in various professional organizations, among them the Virginia Morticians Association and Richmond Funeral Directors Association, where he served as vice president and was honored as Mortician of the Year in 2007; and

WHEREAS, his faith was a very important part of his life, and Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr.’s spiritual epiphany at an early age led to his conversion and the complete surrender of his life to faithful service to God as a member of the Glorious Church of God in Christ, the church of his youth and where he later served as a trustee; later in life, he transferred his membership to Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond; and

WHEREAS, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., loved his work and was uniquely suited to its many challenges and demands, and he possessed great interpersonal skills and empathy, which allowed him to comfort and guide grieving families during their most difficult time; and

WHEREAS, Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., father, husband, brother, friend, and entrepreneur, will be lovingly remembered as a true Southern gentleman and kindhearted soul who sought and derived great pleasure in life by serving his community, and family and friends will be consoled by the memory of his warm friendship, generosity, and many acts of kindness; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Robert Mayo Brunson, Sr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.