Jack Brumwell

Brumwell, Jack Arden, 63 of Sebring, FL passed away Wednesday, September 22, 2010, at Highlands Regional Medical Center after a short but valiant and brave battle with Glioblastoma, brain cancer.
He was born October 28, 1946 in Eugene, Oregon, the oldest of seventeen children to Clarence and Dorothy 'Mae' Brumwell.
He enlisted in the US Navy in January 1964. Served on various ships and shore stations throughout the world. Married and divorced.
Retired from the Navy in July 1985 as a commissioned Chief Warrant Officer3 after completing 22 years which included 4 years in Viet Nam; 1965-1967 on ships off the coast conducting search and rescue and gunfire support missions. 1969-1971 in country providing support to the brown water Navy River Patrol Boats, i.e., PBR's, Swift Boats, & River Assault Groups. Assigned to the Patrol Hydrofoil Squadron in Key West, Florida. He married the love of his Life, Tina on April 8, 1990. Worked as a marine mechanic and service manager for a marina. Graduated from Florida Keys Community College with an Associates Degree in Electronics Engineering and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. He obtained a FCC General broadcasters license in the late 1990's. He worked as a television broadcast technician for Voice Of America, broadcasting TV Marti to Cuba from a tethered aerostat flying at 10,000 feet on Cudjoe Key. Jack enjoyed running with the Southernmost Runners and the Marathon Runners Club in the mid 1980's; competing in the 7-Mile Bridge Run in April 1985. He autocrossed his MG Midget with the Ecurie Vitesse Sports Car Club (EVSCC) in Key West for many years. He also raced cars as an amateur with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), competing in two 24 hour events.
He moved from Key West to Sebring, Florida in 2001. He became a Florida State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, and in 2004 he and his wife established an an appraisal firm, Highlands Appraisers, Inc. He and his wife Tina were jointly awarded honorary lifetime memberships in EVSCC in 2001. He was also a member of SCCA and VFW Post 4300 in Sebring, Florida. He enjoyed cooking, racing and fellowship with his many friends, spending time with his wife and his beloved dog Katie.
Survivors include his wife, Tina; two sons, Mark Brumwell of San Francisco, CA, Paul Brumwell of Atlanta, GA, a step daughter Sheila Wilkey of Atlanta, GA, step sons, Sonny Flohr (Paula) of Miami, FL and Frankie Flohr of Orlando, FL; his mother of Reedsport, OR. Jack was preceded in death by his father, two brothers: Jerry Brumwell and Richard (Glenn) Brumwell, and is survived by brothers: Wes, Gilbert and Jeff, all of Eugene, Alan of Florence, Greg of Reedsport, Keith of Frankfurt, Germany and sisters: Suzie Roe, Edie Loew, Diana Taekker, all of Eugene, Charlotte Carter of Roseburg, Nancy Gilson of Noti, Carmen Sundin of Vader,WA, Rita Strohbin of Porterville, CA and Shelley Woodall of Veneta.
A memorial will be on Saturday October 2, 2010 at 11:00 am at Morris Funeral Chapel 307 S. Commerce Ave, Sebring, FL 33870 (863) 385-0101. A West coast memorial will be held on Thursday October 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm at the Veneta Community Center 25192 East Broadway, Veneta, OR.
Any memorial contributions can be made to the Musella Foundation, 1100 Peninsula Blvd, Hewlett, NY 11557. If you are making a donation in Jack's memory, please enclose a note with his name.

Condolences or Life Stories may be expressed in his Guestbook. Morris Funeral Chapel, Sebring, Fl.






Facts

Born: October 28, 1946
Place Of Birth: Eugene, OR
Death: September 22, 2010
Occupation: Highlands Appraisers, Inc.
Organizations:Southernmost Runners
Marathon Runners Club
Ecurie Vitesse Sports Car Club
Sports Car Club of America

Preceded In Death By

Clarence Brumwell, Father
Jerry Brumwell
Richard (Glenn) Brumwell, Survived By

Tina Brumwell, Wife
Mark Brumwell, Son
Paul Brumwell, Son
Sheila Wilkey, Step Daughter
Sonny (Paula) Flohr, Step Son
Frankie Flohr, Step Son
Dorothy 'Mae' Brumwell, Mother
Wes, Gilbert, Jeff, Alan,
Greg and Keith, Brothers
Suzie Roe, Edie Loew,
Diana Taekker, Charlotte Carter,
Nancy Gilson, Carmen Sundin,
Rita Strohbin, Shelley Woodall, Sisters


Life Story

09/29/2010 - Carmen Sundin

I am #14, but he is #1 by Carmen Brumwell Sundin (Jack's sister)
Jack was eighteen years old when I was born so I didn't have the luxury of growing up with him. He was the first born child to our parents. I was near the bottom at number fourteen of seventeen children. I was about 5 years old when Jack came home on leave. I remember me and my other siblings, jumping on him like a little monkey. I must have been the easiest to peel off of him because he grabbed me and turned me upside down and stuffed me into a garbage can, holding me by my feet and then put the lid on. I think it was during this same military leave, we were having a family picnic, at a river with some water falls and a swimming hole. Myself and our other siblings were playing in and near the water. Jack asked me why I wouldn't go in the water. I told him I didn't no how to swim. He said, "It's about time that you learned" and he picked me up and threw me off the bank, as far as he could throw me into water. The water was deep and over my head. I flailed and splashed and swallowed at least a gallon of river water, keeping myself afloat by frantically treading water. I honestly thought I was going to drown. My sister helped me to shore, me choking, coughing and crying all the way. I am not sure if I was crying because I was scared or because I was so mad at him. Now, you would think, with memories like this, I would not want him as a brother. His visits home were far and few between, perhaps about every 8-10 years or so...definitely not enough to get to know who he was, or for him to know any of his siblings individually or completely. Another 12 years pass by and in November, 1993, my fiancé and I left Oregon for a vacation to Florida, seeing the sites around Orlando and then rented a car and drove down to the Keys to spend some time with my brother, Jack, and meet his wife, Tina. It took longer than we had thought to drive to Key West, and when we arrived, I called Jack, to advise that we had made it. We were tired from the long drive, so he came to our hotel to meet up with us in the lounge. Well, I hadn't seen my brother, Jack, in about 12 years. I think I was 16 years old when he last visited our family in Oregon. While on the phone, I began to tell him what I was wearing and starting describing my stature, my hair and where we were seated. He said, "If I can't recognize a Brumwell, then I have no business meeting up with one! I am sure I will know you when I see you." The next day, we went to Jack and Tina's house. They greeted us outside, and, at first, Tina was very polite and made us feel welcome. When we went inside, Tina's demeanor changed. As we walked into the house, we could barely walk through the doorway and into the kitchen and living room because there were boxes, everywhere, stacked, waiting to go "somewhere". I think they came from Jack's office or his boat repair shop, or something like that. I seem to recall her not being very happy that the boxes were still sitting there and her entire house looked like they were waiting for a moving van to arrive. She had made a few comments about Jacks mess and made it clear she was not happy about it. The mess didn't bother me, but it bothered Tina, a lot! I got the impression, that, perhaps they had just gotten into a spat over the boxes, but I didn't dare ask. Jack seated us in their living room. He began to tell us about some events they were going to be attending in the next few days and invited us to go along. He, also, invited us to stay at their house. As we sat in the living room, chatting and catching up, my eyes wander to the wall behind Jack's chair. As I was talking, I stopped, mid-sentence, gasping as I pointed to the wall. They both must have thought I was having an asthma attack, by the look on their faces. Then, both of them, laughing, told me that I was pointing to a gecko. Tina said, "You can't keep them out of the houses in the Keys...they are EVERYWHERE!" Jack then said that they even crawl in the bed sheets. As the evening progressed, I was beginning to worry about our sleeping arrangements. Jack must have seen the look of fear on my face. He assured me not to worry, that, since it was warm, they probably wouldn't climb in the bed, BUT, the big spiders that they have in the Keys DO. I thought he was trying to be funny, but Tina is nodding her head and saying "yes they do". I was terrified to sleep there, but, didn't tell either one of them that. It came time for bed and the first thing I did was pull all the blankets and sheets off the bed, shake them out, and re-make the bed before I would get in it. I do not think I got a minutes' sleep, as every time the blanket or sheet would brush against my face, I would jump out of bed, turn the lights on and pull back the sheets to see if we had company in the bed. It was great to meet Tina and see my brother. They were very gracious hosts, taking us with them to a "Save The Mangroves Fundraising Party". They took us out on their boat to watch the boat races in the ocean, and, also to the marina where the cigar boats were moored, and arranged it for us to get to climb in one, and get our picture taken in it because Jack knew the owner of the racing boat. They showed us the sites around Key West, and directed us to a great place to snorkel in Key Largo. Because of this trip, I got to know and enjoy my brother Jack. He reminded me of our father in so many ways. Looks, build, his curly hair, and even his voice sounded like Dad. He had the intelligence and ingenuity that my father had and every time I was with him I saw all the qualities that I admired in our father, especially his sense of humor. In 1996, Tina and Jack came back to Oregon for a 'Brumwell Family Reunion' and that was the first time, since 1970, that all the siblings had been reunited, which was a highlight in our parent's life and a huge deal in our family. Many things in all of our lives changed tremendously over the next 12 years, with marriages, children, divorces, and sadly, two deaths in 2005-my husband and our father six months later. Jack and Tina came back to Oregon when Dad passed away, taking some time to stay and get to know his estranged siblings, and us getting to know him and Tina better. It was a very enriching experience. I wanted to return to Florida to see Jack and Tina. I started planning our trip in December, booking it in January and finding out in early February that Jack had brain cancer. One month after his surgery, we arrived for our visit. He was in great spirits and I swear acting healthier than I felt. He was able to give my son some valuable advice regarding enlisting in the military. He grilled some awesome dolphin and, in spite of everything he had been through, still managed to be an awesome host. It was so hard to leave. Our good bye's started inside the house and continued outside. He stood in front of the garage, watching, intently, as we drove away. I think he was as sad to see us leave and I was sad to be leaving, too. I truly believe that he had grown to love me as I had him, despite not growing up together. He is a man that I will always admire. I know that he was #1 for a reason. He set the standard. He will forever hold a place in my heart and he will be missed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------