Willard Braun

Willard John Braun, son of Peter and Elizabeth (Holland) Braun, was born August 22, 1922 in Morris, Minnesota. Willard, known by his family as “Kye”, lived on the family farm near Morris and began his education at St. Mary’s School in Morris. The family later moved to the Herman area, where they farmed for a short time. In 1936, they moved one last time to a farm west of Donnelly, where the family lived and farmed from that time forward. As an adult, Kye, along with his brother Jim, took over the farming operation. In 1969, the brothers rented out the farm land, and focused on the business of raising laying hens and picking eggs, which they continued until retiring. Along with all the regular work each day, Kye also spent a great deal of time caring for the variety of animals that lived on the farm, but he always had a special place in his heart for his horses. He also enjoyed spending time just driving around the countryside in his car. When his health began to fail, he moved from the farm into Morris, where he lived for a short time before moving to the Rolling Hills Assisted Living in Barrett, MN. He always appreciated the excellent care he received at Rolling Hills, but more importantly, he enjoyed the relationships that he made with the wonderful staff at the facility.

Willard was a long-time member of St. Theresia’s Catholic Church in Donnelly while living on the farm, and more recently, he had been a member of Assumption Catholic Church in Morris. He was also a past member of the Knights of Columbus in Donnelly.

Willard died on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at Rolling Hills Assisted Living in Barrett, Minnesota, having lived to reach the age of 86 years.

He is survived by one brother: William (Gen) Braun of Morris; two sisters: Irene Raths of Morris and Margaret Miller of Morris and sister-in-law: Deloris Braun of Morris and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers: James, Joseph and Donald Braun and two sisters: Agnes Kopel and Joan Braun.

Pallbearers for the service are: Craig Schmidgall, Jeff Miller, Robert Miller, Ace Sperr, Michael Braun and Richard Olsen. Linda Hodgson will serve as pianist for the service with Holly Giese serving as song leader. Pedersen Funeral Home in Morris is in charge of the arrangements.