Graveside services for Gayle Itschner Burnum, 76, of Brownwood, will be held at 2 pm on Sunday, October 20, in Eastlawn Cemetery with Pastor Brian Hall officiating. Interment will follow, under the direction of Netherton Funeral Home.
Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 pm on Saturday, October 19, at the funeral home.
Mrs. Burnum passed away on Thursday, October 17, 2013 in Brownwood, Texas , after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
Gayle is survived by her husband of 58 years, Roy Lynn Burnum; brother, James Itschner; and many nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Rudolph (Rudy) and Opal Itschner, and brother, Russell Itschner.
Carol Gayle Itschner, known as Gayle, was born on February 12, 1937 about 5 miles west of Sayre, OK on old Route 66 to Rudolph (Rudy) and Opal Itschner. Gayle was the youngest of three children, with two older brothers, Russell and James. She grew up as a farm girl—riding horses, driving tractors, and being spoiled by her older brothers. For a time, Russell’s wife, Louise, lived with the Itschners while Russell was in the army, and Gayle fondly remembered those days with Louise as an older sister.
On May 16, 1955, Gayle married her best friend and partner for the next 58+ years, Roy Lynn Burnum. The next day, Gayle graduated from Delhi High School in Delhi, OK, as the valedictorian of her class. Afterward, Gayle & Lynn packed up and headed west to the Bay Area of California. Gayle worked for a time as the bookkeeper for Lynn ’s cousin’s company in the Bay Area. The Burnums then moved for a short time to Pasco, Washington, before returning to the Bay Area once again.
In 1958, Gayle & Lynn bought their first home in the Bay Area and Gayle worked at the Bank of America. When Lynn was drafted to the Army in 1959, Gayle followed him to Lawton, OK, where she worked at Memorial Hospital as an administrator. She stayed in Lawton while Lynn was stationed in Germany.
After Lynn was discharged from the Army in April of 1961, he returned to California while Gayle continued at the hospital. She joined him in December 1961. In March of 1962, Gayle & Lynn moved to Mojave, CA, where Gayle worked as a bank teller at Bank of America and was promoted to Operations Manager prior to their leaving Mojave.
In October 1974, Gayle & Lynn moved to the place they would call home for the rest of their married life, Brownwood, TX. Gayle continued her banking career at Republic Bank in June of 1975 and was quickly promoted to Head Teller.
Gayle was surprised by her next promotion, as she found out from a friend upon her return from vacation that she was named the Vice-President at the bank. She was the first female VP loan officer in Brownwood. As the VP, Gayle won the professional favor and respect of men who doubted a woman’s ability in the role of VP. Her farm girl days allowed her to demonstrate to them that she understood their primary collateral, cattle. As a very conservative loan officer, her motto was: “If you can’t pay it in 36 months, you don’t need it!” Customers during her time at the bank say she was the best loan officer they ever had, and she gave good solid advice.
In 1989, Gayle retired under disability due to illness, and with several bank ownership changes, she retired under Bank of America, of which she had worked for most of her adult life.
Besides her successful career, Gayle loved and valued family above all else. In 1978, Gayle’s mother, Opal, moved to Early and lived in a trailer home on their property. In 1982, Lynn ’s mother, Rachel “Short” Burnum, moved into the apartment attached to Gayle & Lynn ’s house. Both mothers remained in Early until they passed away on May 14th and May 20th, 1993, respectively. In the early 2000s, Gayle spent much time caring for her brother, Russell. He affectionately called her “Super Sister” because of her love and care for him at the time he most needed her.
While Gayle and Lynn did not have children of their own, they were a second home for many of their nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. They were also extremely close to siblings and their spouses. Family would show up in Brownwood, knowing they were welcome and it would be a safe and loving place to be. They had many dogs over the years who were also part of the family, including Spud & Tuffy (affectionately renamed Pud & Tootie) in earlier years and Freddie & Frankie in more recent years.
Gayle enjoyed life and loved reading, crochet, and sewing. She even made her own clothes for many years. She & Lynn enjoyed being part of the Shriner’s and the Shrine RV unit, and traveled with their Shrine group, making many friends throughout Texas. After their days with Shrine, they continued to adventure with their own RV across the country, visiting with family.
People who know Gayle always describe her as sweet, and that is probably because she had much sweetness to give due to her addiction to all things chocolate and sugary. Gayle always made delicious treats for family and friends, and teased herself for all the candy she kept at her house. Legendary family stories often center around Gayle and dessert, including sour cream cookies and banana pudding.
Gayle was very low-key and even-keeled. She was very aware of others’ feelings, and accepted people as they were, never talking negatively about others. She did not show frustration or anger, except when Lynn wanted to trade for another car.
Gayle was loved deeply by everyone who had the privilege to know her. During her last few weeks with us, her room was a revolving door of those who wanted to see her and tell her again how much she meant to them and how much they loved her.
She is already deeply missed, and will continue to live through our memories. As she always said when someone was concerned and she would say to us now, “S’alright!”
