Ardith Dianne Brunk

Ardith Dianne Freyenberger Brunk, aged 91, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at Showalter Villa in Hesston, Kansas.

She was born on November 27, 1933, in Wayland, IA, to Ezra and Lavina Freyenberger. She married James Royce Brunk on June 8, 1957 in Wayland, IA. Ardith lived a full life! She was always busy either baking cinnamon rolls or butterhorns, sewing school kits for MCC, enjoying coffee with friends, spending time with grandkids playing Duck-Duck-Goose or jumping in the fall leaves even past the age of 90, or making pounds and pounds of potato salad for funeral meals.

She traveled the world including living on the Hopi reservation in Arizona for about a decade, India for a year and Seoul, South Korea for a decade. Along with Royce they enjoyed doing what they were both good at – teaching kids. She was a childcare provider for a number of years before she got her BS degree in Education. She was baptized as a young child and has been a long time member of the Hesston Mennonite church.

Ardith is survived by her children, Rene (Debi) Brunk of Kansas City, MO, and Jodi (Doug) Dick of Wichita, KS; four grandchildren, Jordan (Alisha) Brunk of Kansas City, Missouri, Casey (Lori) Brunk of Plainfield, IL, Melanie (John) Schall of Wichita, and Joel (Indica) Dick of Wichita; eight great grandchildren soon to be nine, Sophia and Olivia Brunk, Everly Brunk, Bethany and Audrey Schall, Callaway, Cohen and baby sister Dick, and; three sisters, Phyllis Hartzler of Wayland, IA, Marcia (Urb) Roth of Wayland, IA, and Nedra (Duane) Sauder of Archbold, OH. 

She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, James Royce Brunk.

Family, friends, and others are invited to the Hesston Mennonite Church (309 S Main Street, Hesston, KS), at 11:00am on Saturday, May 24, to celebrate her life with her

family.