Gerret D. Browen, 70, Long Prairie

October 13, 1944 - September 21, 2015

Memorial Services will be held at 1 pm, Friday, September 25, 2015 at Peace United Church, Long Prairie, for Gerret Browen, age 70, of Long Prairie who passed away on Monday at the St. Cloud Hospital. Rev. Gary Taylor will officiate and burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Long Prairie.

Family and friends may call from 4-8 pm Thursday at the Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home – Stein Chapel and one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.

Gerret Dean Browen was born October 13, 1944 in Hanson County, South Dakota, the son of Ralph H. and Elaine (Folkerts) Browen. The family moved to Long Prairie in the 1950’s where Gerret attended school and graduated from Long Prairie High School. He was employed by National Tea in Long Prairie. Gerret married Lonnie Eldred on July 18, 1964 in Long Prairie. In 1965, they moved to St. Cloud where he worked at Del Farm Foods in the Crossroads Shopping Center. In 1969, they moved to Little Falls where he managed the National Food Store. They returned to Long Prairie in 1974 and ran the Eldred’s Clothing, Shoes, & Western Wear Store for 32 years, retiring in 2006.

Gerret was a member of Peace United Church. He liked to hunt, ice fish, play cards, cook and bake, and anything western including movies. Gerret loved to tease his grandchildren.

Gerret is survived by his wife, Lonnie, Long Prairie; children, David (Sarah) Browen, Osakis; Darren (Ellen) Browen, Dayton, MN; and Debra (Chris) Stein, Sand Springs, OK; siblings, Reginald (Jane) Browen, Long Prairie; Nancy Friedrichs, Sauk Centre; Julie (Gerald) Van Valkenburg, Alexandria; and Richard Browen, Olivia, MN; and five grandchildren, Abigail, Allison, and Cash Stein, and Katie and Lindsey Browen.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Constance Proell, brothers-in-law, Earl Friedrichs and Dennis Proell, nephew Daniel Friedrichs, and niece Jennifer Friedrichs.