Thursday, November 13, 2025
WOW! Huge prayers and sympathy to Deb and all the family! And what wonderful memories!
Kathy and I were blessed to get to know Brian (I in 1970) and Kathy and Deb joined us at Augsburg in 1971. Brian and I were both enthralled immediately with our beautiful, future wives. The four of us spent many late nights at Embers drinking coffee because Brian just had to "get out". Brian is the only person I have known that had a cowhide rug, and he brought it to his dorm room to stay connected with home. And when the "country boy" got stir crazy in the city, in spite of the fact I had never been a hunter, he dragged me (ha) deer hunting one fall to northern Minnesota. Of course we didn't see a single deer until it was after dark and there were 8 under a yard light as we were leaving the woods and heading back to Minneapolis. And one story has always stuck - when we also went pheasant hunting in southern Minnesota. We got two birds, and to make it up to our girlfriends for "abandoning" them for the weekend, we beautifully wrapped the colorful heads in boxes and placed in their mail boxes. Of course, we needed to stand in the background and watch as they opened the boxes and screamed. But that was Brian.
Some of you may know that Brian was terrified of snakes. When we were sophomores, I had been on band tour and found this very realistic rubber snake that would bounce sort of like a live snake when you lifted it. I was still unpacking from band tour and had just coiled the snake on the floor in front of my dresser. Brian, as always, was ready to go for a cup of coffee and stuck his head in my door, but as soon as he saw the snake, backed out the door and would NOT come in, even knowing that it was just rubber, until the snake was out of sight.
And I was blessed to stay with Brian and Deb in Regina for a couple weeks while he played football and hunted (I "shot" with my camera while he and other football players shot with guns). Because I had to get back to Minneapolis for the wedding of a college roommate, I headed back to Minnesota just before they were blessed with the birth of Kristin, and didn't get to meet her until many years later!
As everyone knows, Brian was a very special person. And we know he is now in glory, face to face with his Savior, Jesus Christ! And we give glory to God for that!
God's peace and blessings to all!
Paul and Kathy Brakke
