Deb Briese, of Jordan, passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by her family on January 31, 2017 at the age of 63. A Christian Funeral will be held on Friday, February 3, 2017 at 11:00 AM with visitation from 9:00 – 11:00 AM at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jordan. Pastor Jeremy Glowicki will preside. Ross Martin, Troy Martin, Jay Martin, Ben Briese, Sam Briese and Scott Fenzloff will act as pallbearers. Jeff Fenzloff and Justin Benson will act as honorary pallbearers. Deb will be laid to rest at Spirit Hill Cemetery in Jordan. Memorials are preferred and will be distributed by Deb’s family in her honor.
On September 22, 1953, Debra Kay Rubendall was born to parents Forrest and Elvira Rubendall. When Deb was only three years old, her father was killed in a tragic car accident. Although Deb never knew her father well, she was very close to her extended family and always valued the importance of family.
In school, Deb met a kind, young man named Mike Briese. Deb and Mike grew up together and were always friends. They began dating Deb’s freshman year of high school and quickly fell in love. Deb married her high school sweetheart at Immanuel Lutheran Church on June 13, 1970.
From that moment on, Deb was a dedicated homemaker and always put her family first. Mike’s work brought them to Jordan, MN where they settled to raise their family. Deb and Mike were blessed with four wonderful sons, Chad, Jeremey, Derik and Nathan. Deb was an excellent wife and mother; her life was centered around her husband and family, and she loved it.
When the boys were young, Deb coordinated numerous baseball and football activities. Her boys could always count on seeing their mom cheering them on from the stands. As a family, they enjoyed spending time at their campsite in Sauk Centre.
Once her boys were in school, Deb provided daycare for local families. She had a gentle spirit, and was a true blessing to many families in Jordan. Deb loved all the kids she cared for, and they loved her too.
As her boys began families of their own, Deb embraced her daughters-in-law with the same unconditional love she showed her boys. And when the grandkids came along, she was overjoyed! Deb was the best grandma to Cami, Josh, Myah, Eli, Jacob, Juella and Sam. Every Easter, Deb would gather all the grandkids together to prepare a homemade Bunny Cake. This quickly became a favorite tradition among the grandkids.
Deb was an excellent cook and baker. She hosted an annual Christmas baking party for the girls in the family. Deb was also known for her canning. She liked doing it, and her family certainly enjoyed the fruits of her labor. When Deb wasn’t taking care of her family, she was an active member of TOPS and a longtime member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Jordan. She was also very involved with Mike’s activities during his time on the Jordan Fire Department.
Family was always the most important thing in Deb’s life. Deb was the foundation of their family, and she was at the center of everything they did. She especially loved getting the entire family together up at the campsite to spend weekends and holidays together floating around the lake on the pontoon just enjoying each other’s company. These were some of the happiest times in Deb’s life.
Deb was a devoted wife, wonderful mother, and loving grandma. She will be deeply missed by her husband, Michael A. Briese; sons, Chad (Heather), Jeremey, Derik (Jessica Devine) and Nathan (Renee); grandchildren, Cameron Briese, Joshua Briese, Myah Briese, Elijah Briese, Jacob Mahto, Juella Mahto, Sam Mahto; sister, Linda (Steve) Martin. sister-in-law, Cindy Rubendall; other loving relatives and friends.
There to greet Deb home to Heaven are her parents, Forrest and Elvira Rubendall; siblings, Donna Fenzloff and Allan Rubendall.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the Briese family. www.BallardSunderFuneral.com
