Brooke passed peacefully due to complications from Parkinsons. Even though diagnosed almost 20 years ago he coped stubbornly and successfully up until the last 9 months. Nothing could stand in the way of a hunting or fishing trip, his family or making his rounds in Frederic, Siren and Milltown. We called it the milk route where he would visit the local gun shops, sportsman’s club, hardware store, sawmill, Dairy Queen and auto shop. You may have even been one of the lucky recipients of his homemade pecan pie that was his mother’s recipe. He never stopped making friends and left an impact on people he knew and loved.

He wanted others to do well and be successful and his advice was from a lifetime of experience and constant learning. He was a pioneer in the respiratory care field and after school he went on to teach and work in that field for over 30 years. The last 15 years he worked selling medical equipment as an independent rep. Once the accounts were established and he had good product lines he would “drop off donuts” at his better local accounts and rarely had to ask for an order. People loved him! He helped many people with sound and simple financial advice. Pay yourself first by saving what you can afford and sticking to the plan long term. He was creating and printing amortization tables way before the internet and showing people the money they would have in retirement.

His favorite place on earth was sitting in the goose pits he built on the northwest corner of our farm. He spent countless hours there and was in heaven watching the sun come up and harassing the local birds. He talked about growing up in Watertown, SD and how rare it was to even see a goose back then. Being the only boy with 3 sisters he had plenty of opportunities to hunt growing up with his dad, Frank. Pam, Sheila and Marcia were very involved also, and they always looked up to their brother.

We were two days short of celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary with mom (Judy) and dad. In his own words “well hell, that’s close enough”! They created a great life together and dad loved mom immensely.

He loved his family and friends so much! Nothing made him happier than being with them and making memories. We are so thankful for the life experiences, advice, mentoring, and love he gave us all. This fall in October we will set a date for a celebration of life at our family farm in Frederic, WI. We wanted to wait until the geese were flying and his grandson returned from flight school. He would not have wanted it any other way!

Last Update: Jul 16, 2025 7:25 am CDT