James Joseph Bruns, 86, of northeast Kansas City passed away on November 15, 2019. Visitation will be held on November 21 at 9 am at Holy Rosary Church, 911 Missouri Avenue, Kansas City, MO. A rosary will be recited at 9:45 am with Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am. Burial will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Raytown, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Holy Rosary Catholic Church; Sisters of Mercy , 7262 Mercy Road, Omaha, NE 68124; or Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph .

Jim was born on September 3, 1933, to Samuel Francis and Sarah (Riggs) Bruns at the family home located on the corner of Denver Avenue and Wilburn Court. Wilburn Court is a unique one block street between Denver and Hardesty Avenues just north of Scarritt. A fitting birthplace as Jim was also one-of-a-kind.

Jimmy Joe or Scrappy, two some-time nicknames, spent most of his life at the three-story house on Wilburn Court until just a few years ago when he moved to Columbus Park Plaza in the North End. His favorite name, because he was loved by so many, was "Uncle Jim."

As the 12 ^th child of 13 brothers and sisters, Jim learned early about the meaning of family. There was always someone to play with. He attended Holy Cross Catholic Church and Grade School on St. John Avenue a block away from home. His high school, Cardinal Glennon, was less than a block away.  At Glennon Jim was on the football team and played in the band even though due to a childhood accident, he didn't have full use of his left hand. He always found a way to work around the disability. His typing teacher once gave him the assignment of typing a letter to his oldest sister, Sister Zita Marie, in lieu of taking timed tests.  At the end of the week, his teacher asked for the letter because the assignment was due. Loving a good laugh and a harmless prank, Jim replied, "Well, I've already mailed it to Sister Zita!"

Receiving on-the-job training, Jim worked as a pharmacy tech and clerk at several pharmacies. One of his earlier jobs was at Spalitto's Pharmacy and for many years he was at Fordview Drugs on Independence Avenue. While at Fordview, he made many friends including Freddy Martin with whom he shared a love of football and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jim loved the Chiefs. He became a season ticket holder in 1963, the year the Chiefs were brought from Dallas to Kansas City. Every autumn for many years, Sunday afternoons were devoted to tailgating and football games first at Municipal Stadium and then at Arrowhead. Loving good food and being a good cook, tailgating was an event Jim loved sharing with his brothers and nephews -- and whoever else stopped by the parking lot. This avid group of fans even converted an old small school bus to carry the food, coolers of beer and themselves to the games. Dubbed the "Zoo" bus by Sister Zita, it was a fun place to gather in Parking Lot "G" right next to the "yellow brick road."

Jim loved to garden; he excelled at growing tomatoes and peppers. There were always flowers planted in a pot on the front porch and a small flower garden by the side door of the house.  He loved barbequing and spending evenings on the small patio or front porch. He was also a terrific bread baker. One of his specialties was focaccia which was often brought to the family holiday gatherings.

Jim loved classical music and thoroughly enjoyed opera. He had a nice collection of tapes and CDs and attended some live concerts and performances including operas at the Met and in Santa Fe.

Another love of Jim's was travel. There were train trips to California as a young boy and trips to Colorado, Texas, Chicago, Washington, DC and Boston. Sisters and brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews were visited at these destinations as well as enjoying the sights America has to offer. Jim also went to Germany three times with nephews and brothers and met some distant cousins there.

Uncle Jim was a dear man and one of the things we are forever grateful was his devoted care of his mother. He had continued to live at the family home with Grandma until she died in January,1987.

Jim was predeceased by his parents, Samuel Francis and Sarah, and his siblings and their spouses: Sister Zita Marie, R.S.M.; Jenny Zaner (Doc); Frank (Rosine); Margaret Pogue (Clyde); Ruth Nelson; Brother Lorian Gilbert, FSC; Bill (Pat); John (Jean); Fred (Helen); Ann Trussell (Bob); Tom (Judith); and David (Elaine). He is survived by many (as you can imagine) nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews and so on.

Maybe because he was a bachelor and certainly because of who he was, Uncle Jim was very special to us.  We think the world of our Uncle Jim and will miss him greatly.