Betty R. Bruny, 96, of Monroe, died Monday, September 14, 2015, at the New Glarus Home. She was born Betty Frances Daugherty in Wabash, Indiana, on October 8, 1918, the daughter of Brice and Josephine Daugherty. In 1936, she graduated from Wabash High School, where her gifted English teacher Ruth Jones gave her a lifelong love of Shakespeare. Later, she also attended classes at the Kokomo campus of Indiana University.
Not long after graduation from high school, she was hired to work in the classified advertising department of the Wabash Plain Dealer, where she was soon promoted to manager of the department, a position she held until 1962. In 1947 she was elected President of the Wabash Business and Professional Women, and re-elected to subsequent terms. During the years in Wabash, Betty pursued many interests such as bridge, oil painting, and gardening and made frequent trips to the Purdue campus and to Chicago for ballet and opera productions. In 1940, she married Charles R. ("Rollie") Rowan, a marriage that ended in 1959.
In 1962, Betty accepted an offer from the Yellow Pages for a job that required her to travel throughout the Midwest and brought her to Monroe, where she met Richard A. Bruny. Richard and Betty were married March 30, 1963. They built a home on Stauffacher Road, where they lived for 40 years. Betty then worked at the Monroe Clinic for many years. She became a member of Questers and of the Monroe Country Club, where she won championships in bridge and ladies' golf. She often went to Chicago for ballet and opera, and was a lifelong fan of movies, frequently traveling to Madison to see the latest releases, which for her could only be seen in theaters, never on a television screen. While continuing her interests in cooking, gardening, and above all bridge, Betty became an avid china painter with Annie Segner.
In retirement, Betty traveled widely, often with her husband. She made five trips to the United Kingdom, two trips to continental Europe, and a trip to China. She never missed a high school class reunion in Wabash, and enjoyed vacations with her husband in Biloxi, Mississippi, and trips to various music and theater events.
Betty was predeceased by her parents, her sister Janet Louise Cooper, and her niece Melissa Cooper. Her husband died on New Year's Eve, 2007. She is survived by her nephews, Byron Cooper of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, and Tony Cooper of Wabash, Indiana, and their children.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2015, at Shriner - Hager - Gohlke Funeral Home in Monroe, Wisconsin, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. until the service with Rev. Todd Hackman officiating. Interment will be in Bethel-Hawthorne Cemetery, rural Monroe.
Condolences may be sent to the family at: shriner111.com.
Not long after graduation from high school, she was hired to work in the classified advertising department of the Wabash Plain Dealer, where she was soon promoted to manager of the department, a position she held until 1962. In 1947 she was elected President of the Wabash Business and Professional Women, and re-elected to subsequent terms. During the years in Wabash, Betty pursued many interests such as bridge, oil painting, and gardening and made frequent trips to the Purdue campus and to Chicago for ballet and opera productions. In 1940, she married Charles R. ("Rollie") Rowan, a marriage that ended in 1959.
In 1962, Betty accepted an offer from the Yellow Pages for a job that required her to travel throughout the Midwest and brought her to Monroe, where she met Richard A. Bruny. Richard and Betty were married March 30, 1963. They built a home on Stauffacher Road, where they lived for 40 years. Betty then worked at the Monroe Clinic for many years. She became a member of Questers and of the Monroe Country Club, where she won championships in bridge and ladies' golf. She often went to Chicago for ballet and opera, and was a lifelong fan of movies, frequently traveling to Madison to see the latest releases, which for her could only be seen in theaters, never on a television screen. While continuing her interests in cooking, gardening, and above all bridge, Betty became an avid china painter with Annie Segner.
In retirement, Betty traveled widely, often with her husband. She made five trips to the United Kingdom, two trips to continental Europe, and a trip to China. She never missed a high school class reunion in Wabash, and enjoyed vacations with her husband in Biloxi, Mississippi, and trips to various music and theater events.
Betty was predeceased by her parents, her sister Janet Louise Cooper, and her niece Melissa Cooper. Her husband died on New Year's Eve, 2007. She is survived by her nephews, Byron Cooper of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, and Tony Cooper of Wabash, Indiana, and their children.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2015, at Shriner - Hager - Gohlke Funeral Home in Monroe, Wisconsin, with visitation from 10:00 a.m. until the service with Rev. Todd Hackman officiating. Interment will be in Bethel-Hawthorne Cemetery, rural Monroe.
Condolences may be sent to the family at: shriner111.com.