Aaron Bret Waller III  passed away at the age of 89 on October 2, 2025, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, from complications of a stroke, leading to pneumonia. Born on December 7, 1935, Bret spent a happy childhood and adolescence in the small town of Girard, Kansas, with his parents, Bret Waller Jr. and Juanita Slawson Waller, and his siblings, Tom Waller and C.C. Waller Woolf. Bret met his future wife, Mary Lou Dooley, at the Kansas City Art Institute, where they were both students. They were married on September 3, 1959.

Bret launched his long career in the arts with a Master's Degree in Art History from the University of Kansas. In 1963, Bret received a Fulbright Scholarship to study Norwegian Art in Oslo, Norway. Bret's career titles included Director, University of Kansas Museum of Art (Lawrence, KS), Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art (Ann Arbor, MI), Director, Memorial Art Gallery (Rochester, NY), Associate Director of Public Education, J. Paul Getty Museum (Santa Monica, CA), and Director, Indianapolis Museum of Art (Indianapolis, IN).

Bret had a wonderful sense of humor, which frequently featured prominently in his speaking engagements. Bret was also an artist and poet, and co-author of a poetry collection entitled "Three from Osage Street," stories about life in Girard, KS.

Bret is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Lou Dooley Waller, and his children, Bret Waller IV and Mimi Waller Johnson.