fyi: Remembering Robert Brunk (1942-2026)

[Will Partain]

All -- Bob Brunk was a western NC singer, "well kent" if you go back a little white. Worth remembering. --Will

=== note and obit from son Andrew

Dear friends,

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Robert Brunk. My
father founded Brunk Auctions in 1983 and brought to the endeavor his
usual high standards and remarkable work ethic. Some of you receiving
this email will remember those early days, before websites and the
Internet and the many other developments that brought changes to the
business. The auction format was a great fit for him, as he loved the
dynamic intersection between people, objects, history, and emotion;
themes he continued to explore in his writing after his retirement in
2010. In the years that followed, he watched the company closely and
was very proud that it continued to thrive and grow. As we forge on,
the team here at Brunk Auctions strives to uphold the high standards
that he established 43 years ago.

With warm wishes,
Andrew and Lauren Brunk

ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA – Robert Sterling Brunk passed away on
Thursday, June 11, 2026, at age 84. He died surrounded by loved ones
from complications associated with multiple sclerosis. Bob was a
person who approached life with determination, and his battle with MS
was no different.

Bob was born on April 14, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, into a Mennonite
family. He grew up in Lombard, Ill., and graduated from Goshen
College, where he met his wife, Jan. He earned his master’s degree in
community organization from the University of Michigan and attended
Princeton Theological Seminary.The couple moved to Western North
Carolina so he could take a job with the Office of Economic
Opportunity to promote civil rights.

He lived in the Asheville area for almost 60 years, and it is
difficult to accurately convey the Venn diagram of professional and
artistic pursuits that filled those years. He began as a professor at
UNC-A. He was a sculptor, a collector, a social anthropologist, a
woodworker, and a farmer. He worked as an antique dealer, community
organizer, auctioneer, and author. Bob was passionate about the
material and cultural history of Western North Carolina. In the early
1970s, he and Jan built by hand a stone and wood A-frame house on a
remote farm at the head of Sugar Creek Road in Barnardsville. There,
for a time, he and his family pursued a self-reliant life as he
founded Sugar Creek Wood Designs and became a successful artist. He
patented a traveling Amish-style cradle that is part of the
Smithsonian Museum collection in Washington, D.C., and he also began
singing shape-note music, a vibrant, communal, participatory music
tradition deeply rooted in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In 1983, Bob founded Brunk Auctions, which became a regional
powerhouse. After several years as a one-man operation, he hired his
first full-time employee in 1987. He retired in 2010. The company now
has 30 full-time staff, holds at least 30 annual auctions, and works
with buyers and sellers from around the world. Longtime employees and
clients fondly remember Bob’s penchant for telling stories from the
auction podium. The Anthropology professor was still there.

Bob loved storytelling of all forms and was a noted author. Most
recently, he published A Question of Value, Stories from the Life of
an Auctioneer (2024). A reflection on the meaning of value, this
collection of short stories has received many accolades. A follow-up
memoir is forthcoming.

His work has appeared in The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Iowa
Review, Ninth Letter, The Michigan Quarterly Review, The Gettysburg
Review, Witness, Chautauqua, The North Dakota Quarterly, Salt
Hill, and other publications. He edited two volumes titled May We All
Remember Well: A Journal of the History and Cultures of Western North
Carolina. His essays were selected as Notable Essays for Best American
Essays in 2014 and 2015.

Bob is survived by his brother Stan Brunk; his former wife Jan Brunk;
his daughter Ingrid (David Nelson) Brunk, a law professor at
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee; his son Andrew (Lauren)
Brunk, who now own Brunk Auctions, and six grandchildren: Silas, Emma,
Eva, Logan, Ellis, and Stella.

In life he was a generous supporter of numerous humanitarian,
educational, and environmental causes. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made in his memory to Helpmate in Asheville, Goshen College in
Indiana, or a charity of your choice.

A memorial service will be announced at a future date.