Stephen Claycomb Bruner, 84, of Oak Park, died on June 8, 2026. Born in Chicago on Nov. 11, 1941, he grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, the middle of five brothers. In high school, he participated in three sports and was co-valedictorian of his class. He attended Yale College, graduating in 1963, then spent a year abroad with the Corning Traveling Fellowship, visiting India, Nigeria, and Brazil, among other countries. After his fellowship, he attended Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude. In 1968 he volunteered for the U.S. Navy, and was sent to Naval Supply School in Athens, Georgia. With typical self-deprecation, Steve liked to say that his position as a naval officer put him in charge of a BMD — a “big mahogany desk.”
After his naval service, in 1972 he went to work at the law firm Winston & Strawn and friends introduced him to his future wife, Beth. They were married in Washington, DC in 1973 and they eventually settled in Oak Park, where they raised their two children, Elizabeth and David, and spent eight years on the District 200 school board and was active in a variety of community and civic organizations.
He retired from Winston & Strawn in 2001 and for his “second act” he became fluent in Italian and obtained a PhD in modern European history with a focus on Italy. His frequent trips to Italy with his wife and family were a source of great joy and intellectual stimulation. His dissertation was on Italian colonialism and was eventually revised into a book, Late Nineteenth Century Italy in Africa: The Livraghi Affair and the Waning of Civilizing Aspirations (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017) in addition to several articles in peer-reviewed journals.
A lifelong Christian of deep faith and learning, he served in ministry in a wide variety of ways, including teaching Bible study, visiting the sick and homebound, and serving as an elder. He loved to reading the theology Lesslie Newbigin, Reinhold Niebuhr, Stanley Hauerwas, and many others. But his faith was mostly evident in his kind character. He was caring, patient, and gentle, possessed of a sense of poise and equanimity that only rarely deserted him. He took great joy in his expanding family and became a gentle and affectionate father-in-law and grandfather. His sense of humor buoyed him through hard days, and which he deployed to lower the temperature in moments of stress or conflict. He had a quiet but fierce determination when he put his mind to something, whether it was swimming laps, mastering a new hymn on the piano, winning at Hearts, or perfecting his apple pie recipe.
Steve died from Parkinson’s Disease complications at home, at peace, and surrounded by his family’s love and gratitude for his caregivers, especially David Tembo and Teta Vundamina, who did so much to improve his quality of life these last several years.
Steve is survived by the love of his life, Beth Bruner; his children, Elizabeth (Michael) Bruner, and David (Becca) Bruner; his grandchildren, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Benjamin, and Margaret; his brothers, Philip (Margee) and Robert (Bobbie) Bruner; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of River Forest on Saturday, July 18, at 11 am. A lunch reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, donations to the National Parkinsons’ Institute or First Presbyterian Church of River Forest would be appreciated.
Arrangements were handled by Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home.