Sophie Ann Brunner, (Cain) 89, Woodstock, died Wednesday, Dec.19, 2012, after a long illness.
She was born Aug. 20, 1923, in Chicago to Alfred and Sophia Bucher.
She lived in Norwood Park for most of her life and attended Schurz and Taft high schools. She studied chemistry and zoology at Northwestern University.
After her marriage to Robert Brunner, she volunteered for 20 years with the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles of the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, where she prepared snake skeletal specimens for a collection that now bears her name. She also was active in the Norwood Park Presbyterian Church.
She and her husband lived in Arlington Heights before moving to Woodstock. They were members of First Presbyterian Church of Woodstock.
She was a keen observer of nature and enjoyed gardening, sewing, and drawing, and spent most of her life caring for others, such as her mother and son.
Survivors include her second husband; a son, Charles (Nancy) Cain, Woodstock; a granddaughter, Jennifer (Jason) Heeres; a great-grandson Benjamin Heeres, all of Louisville, Ky.; and a granddaughter, Stephanie Cain, Miles City, Mont.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Richard Cain, in 1957.
A private memorial service was held.
