Dolores Luella (Weidner) Braun, 82, Eden Valley

July 1, 1932 - March 16, 2018

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11AM on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at Assumption Catholic Church in Eden Valley for Dolores Luella (Weidner) Braun, who passed away on Friday, March 16th at Assumption Home in Cold Spring, MN. Rev. Aaron Nett will officiate and burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-8PM on Friday, and 9:30-10:30AM on Saturday at the Williams Dingmann Funeral Home, Eden Valley. Parish prayers followed by Christian Women praying will be at 4PM Friday at the funeral home in Eden Valley.

Formerly from Eden Valley, she was preceded in death by her husband Lee, siblings Marcy Schleper, Charlie Weidner, and Rose Marie Schleper.

She is survived by her 10 children: Doug (Carole) of Richmond, Christine of Waite Park, Tony (Lisa) of Sauk Rapids, Mark of Sartell, Susan (Sue) of Rochester, Joan (Jen) of Minneapolis, Peter (Sandy) of Savage, Mary (Greg) of Portland, OR, Jill (Aaron) of Redlands, CA, and Richard of Eden Valley, 19 grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and three siblings: Tom Weidner of Regal; Sr. Beverly Weidner, OSF, of Madison, MS; and Sr. Mary Weidner, OSB, of St. Joseph, MN.

Dolores was born on July 1, 1932 in Regal, MN to Margaret (Peters) and Robert Weidner. She graduated from Belgrade High School in 1950, briefly attended St. Cloud Teacher’s College, and then worked at the St. Cloud National Bank before marrying Lee Braun in 1955.

Dolores and Lee took over the Braun family farm in Regal for a number of years before moving to a farm outside of Eden Valley in 1966. Despite being a “city girl,” Dolores adapted quickly to country life, working hard on the farm while raising 10 children, all the while tending to a huge vegetable garden, making meals from scratch, and sewing many of her children’s clothing. In fact, for the baptism of her ninth child Jill, she found the time and energy to sew identical dresses for her four other daughters! She was also famous for baking endless loaves of bread, an item that was often found on her grandchildren’s Christmas lists.

She also found time to be active in her community. She was a member of the Catholic Church, playing the organ for mass in Regal and Eden Valley and holding offices for organizations such as the Christian Mothers and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.

Dolores drove a school bus for the EV-W school district for nearly 20 years, and then in her mid-50s began working as a bookkeeper for parishes in Roscoe, Spring Hill, Lake Henry, and eventually in Zimmerman.

Known as Blondie to her siblings, Aunt Lorse to her nieces and nephews, Ma Lingers to her children, and Farm Grandma to her grandchildren, she was gregarious and had a great sense of humor, which she passed along to her children.

She passed down a number of other things as well, including her left-handedness and her love of music and sports. Her interest in sports began in her youth when she pitched for her kitten ball team and continued into adulthood as she played croquet, horseshoes, ping pong, and volleyball with her kids all summer long, bowled in a league throughout the winter, and religiously cheered on the Minnesota Twins year after year.

Despite limited discretionary money, she made sure her children had opportunities to take piano lessons and play an instrument in the band. And whether she was playing Montavani on the record player or singing with her daughters while doing the dishes, music was always a part of the Braun household.

Perhaps her most significant gift to her children was her quiet strength. Never one to complain, Dolores remained steadfast through some tough times over the course of her life, including surviving a house fire with three very young children, becoming a widow in her mid-50s, and losing part of her leg to diabetes. She had an uncanny ability to bounce back, move forward, and even laugh. She will be missed.

Memorials to Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict (St. Joseph, MN), Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, MN, or the charity of your choice, preferred.