Betty Bruner

Dates

Obituary

Betty Bruner, 96, of Mitchell, SD, passed away Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Avera Brady Health and Rehab in Mitchell. Funeral services will be at 10:30 AM Saturday, May 3, at New Home Lutheran Church in Mitchell. Burial will be at New Home Lutheran Cemetery in rural Mitchell. Visitation will be Friday from 5-7:00 PM at the Church with a 6:30 PM prayer service.

Betty Ruth Bruner was born October 12, 1928, to Algot and Edna (Backlund) Gulberg in Mitchell, SD. Betty attended Mitchell Senior High School and then enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College before returning home to help her father with the farm after her mother passed away unexpectedly. She then continued her coursework at Dakota Wesleyan University.

She married John Bruner on May 10, 1951, at the New Home Lutheran Church in Mitchell. Betty was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandma, and great-great-grandma. She loved being able to pour into her grandkids and would spend hours with them, talking and playing games. She made the holidays extra special for her Grands with hand-picked Christmas ornaments, Easter baskets, May Day baskets, and Halloween packages filled with decorations and candy.

Early on Betty learned to cook from her aunts, Gladys Carlson and Mildred Backlund, calling them before every dinner to get step-by-step instructions. She was never afraid to try a new recipe and then share the good ones with others. (Her beef brisket and spritz cookies were renowned.) Betty’s quilting and sewing expertise were also recognized and appreciated by many. Her beautiful quilts are yet another legacy for her family.  But, more than anything else, she loved to sing.  She spent many wonderful years singing in the Mitchell Sweet Adelines, including memorable performances in a quartet called The Bag Ladies where she got to showcase her singing capabilities and comedic skills.

She loved generously and was a wonderful caregiver to her father Algot, and later to her husband Jack, and to any other family and friends who were in need of help. This was a gift that she passed on to her daughter, Janice. After Jack passed, Betty devoted herself to serving at her church, New Home Lutheran, providing secretarial support, as well as serving Meals on Wheels and at the Salvation Army.

Betty had a wonderful sense of humor, a quick wit, and a contagious laugh. She was always a ready and enthusiastic audience for any antics her sons, Britt and Greg, would come up with…funny or not. Betty was also a joy to her older brother Lee and sister Millie. She enjoyed a special relationship with Millie, which included many driving trips, travel abroad, and a whole lot of singing. They were affectionately referred to by the rest of the family as Thelma and Louise.

Betty is survived by her daughter, Janice (Doug) Johnson of Mitchell; sons, Britt (Judy) Bruner of Mitchell and Gregory (Philomena) Bruner of Carpentersville, IL; grandchildren, Michelle (Jeff) Bathke, Jenelle Vaughan, Adam (Nicole) Johnson, Sarah (Travis) Hostler, Mark (MiKayla) Johnson, Matthew (Judy) Bruner, and John (Sarah Brasseur) Bruner; along with 11 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, three nieces, and many, many cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John Bruner; parents, Algot and Edna Gulberg; brother, Lee (Marilyn) Gulberg; sister, Mildred (Oliver) Gilbertson; and in-laws, Arthur and Hilda Bruner.

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