WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., a native son, was born on June 14, 1966, and was called to eternal rest on March 25, 2014; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., was educated in the Richmond Public Schools and graduated from the Jefferson-Huguenot-Wythe (George Wythe campus) High School in 1984; at age 15, he began working in his father's funeral home, Crawley and Brunson Funeral Home, where he learned funeral home administration and operation, how to clean cars, and maintain buildings and grounds; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., earned an associate degree in applied science for funeral services from John Tyler Community College in 1990; at the age of 23, he became one of the youngest licensed funeral directors and embalmers in Virginia, and after becoming general manager of the A. D. Price Funeral Establishment, Richmond's oldest African American business and funeral home, he cofounded Brunson's Funeral Chapel with his father in Richmond's historic Jackson Ward community, where they helped poor families bury their relatives with dignity and frequently forgave the debts of families who could not pay the expenses; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., has been characterized by family, acquaintances, and colleagues as a "stickler for details," focused, fair, humble, and incredibly charitable in his dealings with friends and constituents; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., affectionately called "Rob," was polite, compassionate, and a genuine southern gentleman, who was committed to continuing his father's legacy of providing excellent service to bereaved families with humility, grace, and care; he was civic-minded and a longtime member of the Richmond Funeral Directors Association, of which he served as past president, and the Virginia Morticians Association and a past national delegate to the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association; and

WHEREAS, a devout Christian, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., was guided by his strong faith in God, having been nurtured in the Glorious Churches of God in Christ, where he served as chairman of the Deacon and Trustee Boards and president of the Elders Board, and was ordained to the Gospel ministry and as an elder by his church; and

WHEREAS, in his ecclesiastical role, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., was an active and founding member of the Greater Works Evangelistic Ministries, where he was ordained as Assistant Pastor and consecrated to the pastorate; in 2007, he founded the Unlimited Power Transformation Church, where he served as senior pastor until his death; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., was sustained by his favorite scripture, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths," Proverbs 3:5-6; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., who was loved immeasurably by everyone whose life he touched, will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by his family, friends, and loved ones; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Reverend Robert Mayo Brunson, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory and contributions to the people of Richmond and the Commonwealth.