Brunetta H. Centner

ARLINGTON -- Brunetta Hays Centner, 70, of Arlington passed away quietly of complications from early onset of Alzheimer's disease on Saturday, June 18, 2011, surrounded by family at a nursing and rehabilitation facility in Arlington.

Funeral: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Arlington Presbyterian Church, 1308 West Pioneer Parkway, the Rev. Jeremy Fair officiating. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Mission Arlington, or the Arlington Pregnancy Center.

She was the daughter of the late William Bell and Ruth Chigley Hays of Oklahoma City, Okla. On her mother's side, she was an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation. Proud of her American Indian heritage, she twice laid wreaths at the Confederate War Memorial in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Chickasaws. Brunetta was a loving wife for 45 years to Richard Leo Centner Jr., the son of a career naval aviator. They were married in Oakland, Calif., in 1966. She was a caring mother to three children, sons, Brian and Fluffy, and daughter, Teri, a retired Air Force major and alumna of the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics department. Fluffy has worked since 1999 as a tour manager in the rock music business. Brian earned his B.S. in industrial distribution in 1983 from Texas A&M University; he and his wife Teddy own and operate White Ranch River Retreat in Barksdale while their son James studies mechanical engineering at MIT. Outside the home, Brunetta was known as an intelligent, caring, and accomplished woman in several roles. She was a 1959 graduate of Paul's Valley (Okla.) High School where she took all of the math and science classes that were offered. Brunetta was also an accomplished majorette. She attended the University of Oklahoma for two years before joining South Central Bell as a phone representative. Following her wedding to Mr. Donald Futer she moved to his hometown of Oakland, Calif., and transferred to Pacific Telephone. She was widowed in 1964. She graduated with a certificate in orthoptics (eye therapy) from the University of California Medical School San Francisco in 1967. Some of her class work was done at Baylor Medical School Houston. After working in the field for several years, she moved in 1979 with her family to Washington, D.C. where her husband had accepted a position with Republican Congressman Dan Marriott of Utah. She joined the staff of Republican Senator Robert Dole of Kansas as a clerical assistant. In 1983, she became a political appointee for the Reagan administration at the ACTION agency, where she served under Director Tom Pauken, later the chairman of the Texas Republican Party. During the George H.W. Bush administration, she moved to the Justice Department, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs as a grants managements specialist. She was also the local area network supervisor for the agency's computer programs. She earned several achievement and special accomplishment awards during her years in federal service, where she was always willing to help others with their computer problems. Brunetta was also an active volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America and her church. Her husband often quips, "I had many friends during our time in the nation's capital, but it's fair to say that, with most of them, my stock went up when they met Brunetta. She had a special gift for putting others at ease and lifting their burdens through listening and empathy." Everyone who knew her will miss her smile and her laugh.

Survivors: She is survived by her husband, a fellow veteran of the Reagan administration, and by her three children.