Eldrid Jacob Branger

Eldrid Jacob Branger, age 97, of Mondovi, WI, passed away on February 14, 2015, at the American Lutheran Home in Mondovi. Eldrid was born on December 31, 1917, the son of Chris and Hattie (Senn) Branger, on the Branger home farm in Gilman Valley, Gilmanton Township, WI. It was a bitterly cold day when the doctor came by horse and sleigh to deliver Chris and Hattie's third child. Eldrid was baptized at St. Luke's Reformed Church in Tell, WI. He attended the one room country school in Gilman Valley. In 1934, at age 16, he graduated from Gilmanton High School. Eldrid then attended the University of Wisconsin Farm Short Course in Madison, WI. Upon completion, he returned to Gilman Valley to farm with his father. On August 23, 1947, Eldrid married Evelyn F. Ford at the Methodist Church in Mondovi. They made the Branger farm their home. There, Eldrid farmed the land and with Evelyn raised five daughters and one son. Eldrid continued to live on the farm until moving to Hillview Assisted Living in Mondovi in the summer of 2013, at age 95. He was very proud that the Branger farm is a Century Farm and that it continues in the family through the ownership and operation by his son, Jay. Family being so very important to Eldrid, he was present, with pride, at the school and church events of his children and grandchildren. Hosting Christmas Eve for the family at his home was an event that Eldrid cherished. An avid reader, Eldrid held a wealth of knowledge about world, national, state, and local events. Answers that were needed about the olden days could easily be obtained from Eldrid. It was not unusual to find him reading the encyclopedia. A civic minded individual, Eldrid, over the years, was a leader of the Gilman Valley 4-H Club; a trustee of the Mondovi Methodist Church; the chair of the Mondovi State Bank Board of Directors; the president of the Buffalo County Unit of the American Cancer Society; the treasurer of the Gilman Valley School board; and a member of the Gilmanton Community Club, the Buffalo Memorial Hospital board, the Gilmanton High School board, the Mondovi Area Thrift Shop board, the Knights of Pythias, and various farm organizations. Eldrid is survived by his six children: Ann (Irvin) Yelle, Mondovi, Susan (Brad) Duncanson, Mantorville, MN, Christine (John) Kramschuster, Mondovi, Rebecca, (James) Maus, Iola, WI, Jay (Kolleen) Branger, Mondovi, and Lisa (Raymond) Sandberg, Nelson, WI; ten grandchildren: Gavin (Ashley) Duncanson, Garrett (Tiffany) Duncanson, Seth (Erin) Kramschuster, Hattie Kramschuster, Andrew (Virginia) Maus, Elizabeth Maus, Wyatt Sandberg, Weston Sandberg, Julia Branger, and Grace Branger; and eight great-grandchildren: Tristyn Knapp, Brooklyn and Kendall Duncanson; Grady, Trisity, Brody, and Bailey Duncanson; and Evelyn Kramschuster. He is also survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his his parents, his sisters, Lila Tietz and Myrtle Davie, and on December 9, 2001, his wife, Evelyn. A funeral service celebrating Eldrid's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Our Savior's United Methodist Church, 210 North Eau Claire Street, Mondovi, with Pastor Dale Engen officiating. Burial will follow at the Tell Cemetery, rural Alma, WI. A time of visitation will be held on Friday, February 20, 2015, from 4-7 p.m. at the Talbot Family Funeral Home in Mondovi, and one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday. Memorials may be made in Eldrid's name to Our Savior's United Methodist Church, the Tell Cemetery Association, or a place of the giver's choosing. * Please note a previously posted event (the service and burial location) was noted in error in Modena