* Paul W. Brunner; Retired Brown Derby Chef

Longtime Oxnard resident Paul Walter Brunner died at home Dec. 3 after a lengthy illness. He was 87.

Brunner was born April 3, 1911, in Zurich, Switzerland. He was schooled in Switzerland before moving with his family to Montreal, where he lerned the chef’s trade.

He cooked for a living in Canada and then moved to New York City to take a job as a chef at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, said his wife of 65 years, Pearl Ethel Brunner.

From New York, Brunner went to Los Angeles, where he was a chef for a decade at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. In 1935, he married Pearl after having met her during his teen years on a trip to Salt Lake City.

Brunner went on to work at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles.

His favorite dishes were filet mignon and anything with scallops. His family’s favorite recipe was Brunner’s rice pudding.

Brunner and his wife lived for many years in Glendale, where they raised four children. They built a house in Oxnard in 1975 after falling in love with the ocean, his wife said.

About the time his family moved to Oxnard, Brunner retired after having a hip replaced and suffering a stroke. Despite pain and loss of mobility in his right hand, Brunner took up oil painting. He enjoyed doing landscapes and images of Santa Claus.

Brunner was a longtime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In addition to his wife, Brunner is survived by two sons, Richard Brunner of Morro Bay and Tom Brunner of Tehachapi; two daughters, Sonja Nelson of Tracy and Evelyn Lundquist of Sandy, Utah; 14 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Services were held Tuesday. Burial was at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura. Arrangements were handled by Guardian Memorial Funeral Directors & Crematory in Oxnard.

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Carter, Thomas L., 52, of Ventura, dentist. Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura.

Hoff, Janet Agnes, 79, of Newbury Park, homemaker. Aabbey Memorial Services of Ventura County, Thousand Oaks.

Jefferies, George Henry, 87, Oxnard, shopkeeper. Guardian Memorial Funeral Directors & Crematory, Oxnard.

Kangas, Velma Eileen, 78, of Newbury Park, food store representative. Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary, Thousand Oaks.

McClain, Odie Fines Jr., 73, of Newbury Park, retired owner of a hydraulic equipment company. Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary, Westlake Village.

Myck, Edward A. Jr., 78, of Ventura, retired electrical engineer. Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home, Ventura.

Roman, Juan Meza, 35, of Oxnard, harvester. Camino del Sol Memorial Center & Funeral Home, Oxnard.

Ward, Landis Joseph, 88, of Ventura, retired school district landscaper. Ted Mayr Funeral Home, Ventura.

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Ventura County obituaries are published free of charge as a public service to readers. Obituaries are based on information provided by mortuaries.