Louise Brunson, Wife of Late Doyle Brunson, Passes Away
Louise Brunson, married to the late poker great Doyle Brunson, has passed away, according to a social media post from her daughter Pamela Brunson.
The Brunson's were married for 62 years and spent much of their time together residing in Las Vegas. They met in 1959 and tied the knot in 1962 and had three children together — Pamela, Todd Brunson (Poker Hall of Famer), and Doyla, who passed away at age 18 in 1982.
Louise Brunson's passing comes just five months after her poker legend husband died. Doyle passed away weeks before prior to the start of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
While Doyle played poker right up until the end and all throughout his six-decade marriage, the game was never his top priority. Caring for his wife, who had some health issues in recent years, took precedent.
Pamela Brunson posted a brief tribute to her mother on Facebook. She wrote that her mom passed away peacefully in her sleep.
"I'm sure she is so excited to be in heaven with my dad," the social media post read.
An invite-only funeral will take place on Monday.
"Please keep us in your prayers. It's been a crazy five months," Pamela Brunson continued.
It has been a rough five months for the Brunson family, as Pamela wrote. Doyle, 89 at the time, passed away in May, and the Brunson children then lost their mother this weekend.
Remembering Louise Brunson
Mrs. Brunson avoided the poker limelight, so it was rare for those within the poker community who weren't close to the Brunson family to see her. But in 2018, she gave a candid interview with PokerNews.
Louise, like her future husband, grew up in Texas, but would attend the University of Georgia where she studied to become a lab technician. She earned her degree in less than four years. After college, she moved to San Angelo, Texas, pharmacist license in hand, where she began her new career in the late 1950s.
One day after work, some of the girls she worked with were heading out to hear a country and western band. She tagged along looking for some fun after long, hard hours at the drugstore.
“I’d never even heard western music at that time,” she said in the 2018 interview. “This one lady kept saying, ‘Louise you’ve got to come.’”
At the dance, Doyle happened to be in attendance along with gambling partner Bryan "Sailor" Roberts, winner of the 1975 World Series of Poker Main Event. A conversation soon began, and Doyle disclosed that he was a bookmaker – an occupation Louise wasn’t quite familiar with.
“I thought he was a bookkeeper,” she continued.
“I didn’t have any idea. But one day, the owner of the drugstore came to me and said: ‘Louise, do you know what Doyle does for a living?’ And I said: ‘Oh yeah, he’s a bookkeeper.’ And he said, ‘No he’s a bookmaker.’ And I said, 'Yeah, he keeps books. He has a master’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University.' Up until then, I didn’t know what a bookmaker was.”
Despite his unique occupation, Louise was smitten – and so was Doyle. He kept calling and the couple continued to date. For Louise, the young bookie/poker player was quite the catch.
“Everybody just loved Doyle,” she said. “He was tall and handsome, and he just had a nice personality. We had a lot of good times in San Angelo.”
The couple was married for more than six decades and their love for each other never wavered. In recent years, they dealt with some serious medical conditions together. Doyle would often stay home to care for his wife instead of heading out to Bellagio to play poker.
“We went through a lot in our lifetime,” said Louise. “But what doesn’t kill you, keeps you together and closer. I knew that I loved him, and I knew that he loved me. And if we had a disagreement, it would just be minor.”
What kept the Brunsons together for so long? Louise had a simple answer.
“Love. I loved him,” she explained. “True love. We’ve had a really happy marriage. That’s why you really need to be in love. Because the love will bring you through.”
Life, Love & Cards with Louise Brunson
