Lawrence Brunner

Lawrence Brunner, 76, of Wilkes-Barre died Sunday at Geisinger Wyoming Valley.

Born March 18, 1936 in Wilkinsburg he was a son of the late Calvin and Regina Wolfe Brunner.

A graduate of Wilkinsburg High School, Larry earned six varsity letters, ten district medals, and seven state medals in his track and cross country career from 1951 to 1954. He earned two college letters and medals in 1954-55 before graduating from Slippery Rock University.

Larry instituted the track program and coached at Shenango Area High School, competing without an actual track and against schools three times their size. His teams compiled records of 30-13 in track from 1961-67, and 22-22 in cross country from 1962-67. In 1967 he and his assistant had a track built and started the Shenango Relays.

In August of 1967, Larry moved to the Wyoming Valley and began coaching at Wyoming Valley West High School. His boy's cross country teams compiled a 144-70 record from 1967-83, and track 150-37-3 from 1967-84. The girl's cross country record was 39-13 from 1975-83, and track was 90-8 from 1976-84. Larry started the Wyoming Valley West Relays in 1968; winning in 1973, 1976, 1978 and 1980 and runners-up in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1977 and 1981. He coached boy's teams to victory in Scranton's Jordan Relays in 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977 and 1978; and his girl's teams won three in a row from 1982 to 1984.

Larry retired from coaching at Wyoming Valley West in 1984 and returned in 1987 as assistant junior high school coach at Wyoming Area. From 1987 to 1990 the boy's team had a record of 27-10, including the 1987 undefeated District Championship team.

In June of 1992 Larry retired after thirty-four years of teaching sociology and economics and thirty years of coaching a career varsity record of 516-189-3.

In 1972 he was married to Mary Patricia Manganella, making them the first husband and wife coaching team in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They would have celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary on October 28th.

He will be greatly missed by his wife, Mary Pat; great-nieces and a great-nephew; his extended family of the Butera’s, Sullivan’s and Maley’s; and his best friend, Handsome.

Mary Pat extends special thanks to Geisinger Wyoming Valley's Intensive Care Unit staff and especially the nurses, aides and support staff of its Pulmonary Care Unit for the loving and compassionate care they gave over the past two months.

Celebration of Larry’s Life will be held Thursday at 9 AM from McLaughlin's - The Family Funeral Service, 142 South Washington Street in Wilkes-Barre with Funeral Mass at 10 AM in the Church of Saint Nicholas. Entombment will be in Saint Mary's Mausoleum in Hanover Township.

Visitation will be held at McLaughlin's on Wednesday from 4 to 8 PM.

Memorial donations are preferred and may be made to Osterhout Free Library, 71 S. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, 18702, St. Vincent DePaul Kitchen, 39 East Jackson Street, Wilkes-Barre, 18701-2709, or Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge, 974 Lockville Road, Dallas, 18612-9465.

Permanent messages and memories can be shared with Larry’s family at www.celebratehislife.com