Esther Brumley

Esther Brumley, former teacher and mother of eight, passed away on June 3, 2026, surrounded by family.

Esther was born on June 6, 1925, to Omer and Grace Holsen Cunningham in a house built by Omer on the corner of 19th and Dubois Streets in Lawrenceville. The family later moved to a farm in Lukin Township, where Esther and her siblings, Carl, Don, and Betty, attended White Oak School, where Esther met her lifelong friend, Mary Moore Piper, now 102 years old.

Esther stayed in Lawrenceville with her aunt and uncle, Coen and Emma Cunningham, to attend high school, where she also formed a lasting friendship with Naomi Williams Irvin.

In 1943, she graduated from Lawrenceville High School and then attended Eastern Illinois University. In 1947, she completed a bachelor’s degree in Music and English and began teaching in Palestine, Illinois, where she met and married William “Bill” Brumley in 1948. Their first child, Marcia, was born in December 1949.

The family moved to Riverside, California, in 1950; Vincennes, Indiana, in 1951; and rural Lawrenceville in 1957.

During this time, they welcomed three more daughters: Nancy (Allen) Strong of Urbana, Illinois; Joyce (Billy) Moffitt of Ocean City, New Jersey; and Julie (Doug) Mieure of Lawrenceville. They also welcomed four sons: Ed (Dianne) Brumley of Lawrenceville; John Brumley of Lawrenceville; Bill Brumley of Lawrenceville; and Joel (Susan) Brumley of Muncie, Indiana.

After taking several years off to raise her family, Esther returned to teaching from 1970 to 1994 at Brookside Elementary in Pinkstaff, Illinois, where she taught kindergarten and music. Her students and their parents viewed her as a treasure. Esther referred to her students as “my kids” and attended many of their high school graduations.

She was a faithful member of First United Methodist Church in Lawrenceville. Her Sunday School class enjoyed her homemade donuts for many years.

She loved playing the violin at Sunday evening services and was dedicated to the Olney Central College string ensemble, always bringing refreshments to share.

Esther was awake by 5:00 a.m. each day and faithfully maintained a routine of Bible study, prayer, riding her recumbent bike, taking outdoor walks, and spending ten minutes sitting in the sunshine.

She baked every morning and was well known for her cinnamon rolls, Scotcharoos, lemon bars, donuts, and cookies, which she generously shared with family, friends, neighbors and many unsuspecting recipients.

Her goal was to do something kind for someone every day.

She loved quilting, reading, and playing Skip-Bo.

Each evening, she ended her day by playing some of her favorite piano music:

• Sweet Hour of Prayer
• Great Is Thy Faithfulness
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow
• Elmer’s Tune

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill; her daughter, Marcia O’Toole; and her grandson, Adam Hopper of Devon, Pennsylvania.

In addition to her eight children, Esther was blessed with 18 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

She is survived by:

• The children of Marcia (Mike) O’Toole:
  • Julia Lawrence of Lawrenceville
  • Angie (Kyle) Shelton of Lawrenceville
  • Janie (Michael) Strange of Lawrenceville
  • Tom O’Toole of Bridgeport
  • 
    
• Nancy (Allen) Strong of Urbana, Illinois, and her children:
  • Abram Devonshire of Evansville, Indiana
  • Drew Devonshire of Chauncey, Illinois
  • Grant Devonshire of Olney, Illinois
  • 
    
• Joyce (Billy) Moffitt of Ocean City, New Jersey, and her daughter:
  • Grace Exley of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 
    
• Julie (Doug) Mieure of Lawrenceville, and their children:
  • Eric Mieure of Charleston, Illinois
  • Alex Mieure of Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Emily Mieure of Thayne, Wyoming
  • 
    
• Ed (Dianne) Brumley of Lawrenceville, and their children:
  • Muriel Brumley of Arnold, Illinois
  • Shannon Brumley of San Diego, California
  • 
    
• John Brumley of Lawrenceville
• 
  
• Bill Brumley of Lawrenceville
• 
  
• Joel (Susan) Brumley of Muncie, Indiana, and their children:
  • Samuel Brumley of Fishers, Indiana
  • Caroline Brumley of Muncie, Indiana
  • Luke Brumley of Muncie, Indiana
  • William Brumley of Muncie, Indiana
  • 
    

To honor Esther’s memory, please consider a donation to one of her favorite organizations: the UMC Sunday School Class, the Lawrence County Senior Citizens Center, or the Lawrence Public Library.

Esther would have been most pleased if you followed her example to:

• Love more
• Give more
• Forgive more

There will be no burial, as her final act of generosity was donating her body for medical research.

Emmons-Macey & Steffey Funeral Home is in charge of her arrangements.