age 93, of Wauwatosa, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2026. She was born in Milwaukee on March 22, 1933, the daughter of Ralph L. and Alice G. Shaw. She grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Wauwatosa High School in December, 1950, before attending Lawrence University and The University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she graduated with a degree in Mathematics and a minor in French in 1955.
She taught high school math for a year in Marinette, WI, and then married Alfred G. Sunby in 1956. They had two children, and soon thereafter, the family moved to England for 18 months which had a lasting impact on her life. The family settled in Milwaukee in 1962. Punkie and Al were married until his death in 1980.
Subsequently, Punkie pursued her love of travel, making dozens of international trips with her older sister Millie. The two visited every continent except Antarctica. They learned quickly that the best way to find a dining table on the river boat was to hang back and see who was drinking the bottle of white wine so they could have the red.
Punkie loved playing all games, especially cards. She was a lifelong bridge player and was always a member of at least one bridge club and up to four at a time. One of the bridge clubs consisted of high school friends and lasted more than 60 years. She also enjoyed playing sheepshead with Al’s family and other groups. For many years, morning tea and Jeopardy was enjoyed with neighbors Barb and Karyn. In addition to games, Punkie was a docent at The Pabst Mansion for over three decades, enjoyed cooking, and trying new recipes, which were not always good. She was still reading the newspaper every day.
Punkie was an avid fan of all sports, especially football, and never missed a Packers game or a Badgers game. She was a huge fan of both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Summers were spent at the family cottage her father bought on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc when she was six, and continued until just a few years ago. Swimming, boating, fishing, lawn games, and especially evening card games were enjoyed by all.
Punkie is survived by her daughter Jean, son Paul (late wife Lori Hawkins), her grandchildren Sora and Will, her nephew and niece Ken Duffy (Patti), Carol Manson (Garrett), Ken’s children Logan and Adam, sister-in-law Ruth Towns, and other extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, sister Millie Duffy, brother-in-law Will Duffy, brother-in-law Roger Sunby, sister-in-law Donna Sunby, brother-in-law Dick Towns and daughter-in-law.
The family would like to thank everyone at Elaine’s Hope for everything they did for Punkie. A special thank you to Angela, Cassandra, Julie Ann, Autumn and Julie. A Celebration of Life will be held in The Grand Hall at The Landing at Hoyt Park from 12:30 to 3:30 on Sunday July 5th. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Wisconsin Humane Society or Elaine’s Hope.