Funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Ulm, MN with Pastor Nate Scharf officiating.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Monday, April 22, 2024, at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home – North Chapel in New Ulm. The visitation will continue from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. on Tuesday at St. John’s Lutheran Church prior to the service.

Kenneth Roland Brueske was born May 13, 1937, in Blue Earth County on his grandparents’ farm to Roland and Dora (Tanley) Brueske. He was made a child of God by baptism June 20, 1937 and remained faithful to his Lord and Saviour unto death. Ken attended St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Grade School in New Ulm and was confirmed in his Christian faith on March 21, 1951. His confirmation verse was John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” He attended and graduated from New Ulm Public High School in 1955. He was an athlete from a young age, his passion for baseball lasting his entire life.

Ken met Gladys Marie Stoll, daughter of Harry and Louise (Fluegge) Stoll, in grade school at St. Paul’s and they formed a friendship in the sixth grade. They stayed connected, fell in love and married December 20, 1958, at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Ulm. This union was blessed with six children: Michael, Cynthia, David, Jana, John and William. They were blessed to celebrate 65 years of marriage this past December.

Upon graduation from high school, Ken joined the United States Air Force, proudly serving his country from 1955 – 1959. He was deployed to Formosa during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, taking pride in the fact he was “the only corporal, and only one of two people, granted top secret clearance to lead communications between Taiwan and Washington, D.C.” Ken flew home over leave to be married and went back directly after. He was honorably discharged in February 1959 and resumed his civilian life with Gladys by his side.

Ken’s passion for the sport of baseball, with Gladys’ full support and encouragement, was a great source of joy and success throughout the years. Starting with Little League, Brueske could be found on the field every summer. Growing up, spare time was spent honing his skills and striving for constant improvement. He won a great many games and tournament championships over his 60+ year career as player, manager and coach, with Gladys in the stands cheering him on. As a player, Brueske was a member of the 1951 State Aquatennial Midget championship team, achieved a lifetime batting average of .305 and continued developing his skills and knowledge of the game until his final days. Brueske played his last game in 1984, at the age of 46. With only 8 players available to play, as coach, Brueske had to take the field – and an at bat. It was a thrill he cherished and reminisced about the rest of his days, laughing about it only weeks before his passing. His years as manager/coach saw him lead the New Ulm Millers, Brewers and Kaiserhoff to winning seasons year after year, winning eight season titles, seven league playoff titles and two regional championships in his 14 years of managing. The greatest achievement for Brueske was to manage/coach the winning team in the 1980 Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Championship with the New Ulm Kaiserhoff, ending this season with a 30-5 record and a win percentage of .857. After his retirement as manager, he was asked to continue coaching for the Kaiserhoff two more seasons – which saw the team go to state both years as well. Brueske’s career coaching win percentage of .695, with more than 300 career wins, is unparalleled in New Ulm baseball history. His teams consistently ended with winning seasons of 70% or greater with the exception of only two seasons. Throughout the years, Brueske’s players were his extended family, each one of them a son to Coach Brueske. They not only learned to play, and play well, but they also found a friend, mentor and Christian leader in their early adult lives. These men have held “Kenny” in high regard long after playing a few summers for him; he was a man among men. Brueske was deeply honored at being selected into the inaugural class of inductees to the New Ulm Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 as a non-player/manager. One of the proudest baseball moments for Brueske, however, was coaching the amateur state champions in ’80 and his son, Mike, coaching the New Ulm V.F.W. to their own state title the following year; the only father/son coaches to achieve that distinction in New Ulm history.

Ken’s dedication and commitment to his Lord kept him very involved with the church and schools over the years. He sat on numerous boards and counsels, and was instrumental in starting MVLHS in 1979 to keep a local Lutheran high school in his community. When asked in the initial planning meeting if this was financially feasible, Ken was one of the first contributors that very night. His dream of an area Lutheran high school is now 45 years strong and thriving more than he ever dreamed possible. He also let his light for Christ shine in his community by chairing committees and creating events to assist community families any way he could. He developed the annual Christmas Light Contest for downtown businesses in which food collection baskets were implemented and donated each year. He won the New Ulm Spoke Award and in 1969 was named New Ulm Jaycees Outstanding Young Man of the Year.

Ken worked a variety of jobs over his early years, often more than one at a time, doing everything necessary to ensure a Christian education for their six children through the twelfth grade. He sold shoes at the Walk Shop in Worthington, MN, until being recruited back to New Ulm to work at Eichten’s Shoe Store. After a number of years, he went to work for New Ulm Retail Credit, traveling to numerous businesses in southern MN to ensure proper insurance coverage and practices. In 1972, Ken and Gladys moved their young family to Fairfax, MN, to become owner/operators of the Fairfax TV and Appliance Store. After two years, Ken was once again recruited back to New Ulm to work at Broadway Design Interior. With his family growing in numbers and his oldest starting at Martin Lutheran Academy in New Ulm, it was the best course of action. So, he packed them all up and resumed life in New Ulm. In October 1975, Ken began his career as a life insurance producer with Aid Association for Lutherans. He won numerous awards for his sales successes, earning District Representative of the Year in 1976, less than 12 months in the business. Nine short years later, in October 1984, Ken was promoted to general agent, overseeing an agency of 32 DRs in La Crosse, WI. He thrived at this level also, training and mentoring his agents to greatness. Within the first two years of taking the reins, his agents sold more than $5,000,000 in life insurance, a feat never seen by such a young, new general agent. Ken retired from AAL after 20 years with the company, one of the most successful agents in company history. In 1997, he was once again recruited back to Minnesota by Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato to take on the role of Deferred Giving Counselor. He was forever passionate about the true value of a Christian education and eagerly accepted the offer. He “worked” for Bethany for seven years, amassing more than $13,000,000 in deferred gifts in that time. Ken often stated this was not work for him, he was doing the Lord’s calling and was having a great time doing it, meeting new friends and helping more and more kids each day. With Gladys still living at their home in La Crosse and Ken commuting every week to Mankato, when an offer came from Onalaska Luther High School in Wisconsin to do the same work for them, Ken said a reluctant farewell to Bethany and took on the new challenge of fundraising for the high school his youngest sons and several grandchildren attended.

In 2007, Ken and Gladys decided it was time to move home for good to be nearer to their siblings; so, after 24 years in La Crosse, he retired once again, packed up one last time and came back to New Ulm. They were able to enjoy many happy years with their siblings, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Ken is survived by the love of his life, Gladys Brueske of New Ulm; children Mike (Marylou) Brueske of Onalaska, Wisconsin; Cindy (Gary) Janni of New Ulm; Dave (Missy) Brueske of New Ulm; Jana Finken of North Mankato; John (Cina) Brueske of North Mankato; Will Brueske of Maple Grove. He is survived also by 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren whom he loved and cherished greatly; his sister, Lorraine (Zupfer) Kral of New Ulm; brother-in-law and sisters-in law, Reuben & Ruthie Stoll and Luverne Meyer, all of New Ulm; many nieces and nephews, and dear friends too numerous to count.

Ken is preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law, brothers-in-law and sister-in-law Kenneth Zupfer, Herman and Dorothy Roth and James Meyer.

Memorials are preferred to the Bethany Lutheran College Ken and Gladys Brueske Scholarship, St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran School Improvement Fund (New Ulm), Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School Tuition Assistance or donor’s choice.

Minnesota Valley Funeral Home of New Ulm is assisting the family with arrangements.

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