Kenneth Brunk

Kenneth Dale Brunk was born in Denbigh, Virginia on October 7th, 1949 to Dora Hertzler and Daniel Wenger Brunk. He passed away peacefully on December 15th, 2025 in Rockingham, Virginia.

As a young man, Ken was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, and opted to serve in Tanzania for three years as part of a village development program. During his time there, he learned Swahili and spoke it like a native for the rest of his life. He loved the country dearly and considered it his second home, returning many times and frequently bringing family and friends along on trips.

After marrying his wife Gail Jantzi in 1980, they settled in Batesville, Virginia, where Ken helped design and build their house. They raised two children there, Gabriel and Anastasia (Annie), and the family later moved to Harrisonburg, Virginia. He also worked on adding a landing strip to their property in Orange so he could store and fly his planes.

Ken was a man of many skills, and could be always found working on new hobbies and projects. He was an accomplished woodworker, and built everything from kayaks to spinning wheels to safari furniture. Also a talented bluegrass musician and singer, he taught himself to play the piano and guitar by ear. He could just as easily be found working on an old Singer treadle sewing machine as baking another batch of whole wheat bread, reading about David Livingston and Mark Twain, or experimenting with ham radios. In his later years, he spent much of his time writing up his own stories of his many travel (mis)adventures in Tanzania and across Europe, and leaning into his new role as a grandfather by building sandboxes for his grandsons and making them laugh with as many funny noises as he could.

Ken’s zest for life, humor, curiosity, and sense of adventure will always be remembered by those who knew him. Besides his two children, he is survived by Gail, his wife of 45 years, daughter-in-law Lauren, and two beloved grandsons, Everett and Silas. He is also survived by his four siblings: Shirley Coberly, Ron Brunk, his twin sister Kathy Stoltzfus, and Juanita Brunk, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 1 p.m. at Weavers Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Friends of Shirati, PO Box 10903, Lancaster, PA 17605-0903.

Online condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.mcmullenfh.com.

McMullen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.