BRANDT, Roland John William, 1894-1971

BRANDT, BURRESON, BENSCH, PLAHT, HAEFNER, MEYER

Posted By: Nathan Brandt (email)
Date: 9/11/2011 at 09:14:01

Services Held for Roland Brandt,
Prominent Decorah Businessman

Funeral services for Roland J. Brandt, 77, long-time Decorah furniture dealer, funeral director, and farm owner, were held here Saturday.

Mr. Brandt died Wednesday morning, Sept. 8 at the Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital following a stroke suffered Monday morning, Sept. 6, in his home at 406 West Broadway.

Funeral services were conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday by the Rev. Alden H. Hovda from the Decorah Lutheran Church. The Olson-Fjelstul and Brandt Funeral Homes were in charge of arrangements.

Brandt's body lay in state at the Brandt Funeral Home from Friday noon until the time of services. Burial was in the Decorah Lutheran cemetery.

Pallbearers included Robert Brandt, Dale Ahern, Edward Nugent, Howard Smith, Dean Boice, and Tom Burreson.

Mrs. Otto Ruen was organist, and Joe Ulring was soloist.

The floral committee was comprised of Mrs. Hilman Sersland, Mrs. Dean Boice, and Mrs. Hildus Burreson.

For 46 years Mr. Brandt was one of the owners of the Bensch and Brandt Furniture Store, later known as the Bensch and Brandt Furniture Company, and more recently as the Burreson and Brandt Furniture Store.

During that period he also served the Decorah area as a funeral director. Brandt moved the funeral business from the store to his dwelling on West Broadway in the thirties and operated it from that time as the Brandt Funeral Home.

Born July 21, 1894, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Fred Brandt, Postville farmers, Mr. Brandt received his early education in the Postville public schools where he was graduated from high school in 1912. He later attended the School of Mortuary Science in Des Moines and was graduated from that school in 1928.

On Nov. 27, 1928, he was married in Decorah to the former Miss Daisy Amundson, of Decorah, daughter of the late Albert and Josie Amundson. The couple had no children.

After his high school graduation, the long-time Decorah businessman assisted his father in operating the home farm three miles south of Postville until he went into the furniture and undertaking business in Decorah with Clyde C. Bensch, then of Lansing, in 1925.

That year Bensch and Brandt - as the business was known for many years - bought the Willis and Ness Furniture Store and undertaking business at 113 West Water Street, where the furniture business has been continued ever since.

Bensch and Brandt owned and operated the business as a partnership until 1945 when they sold an interest to each of the two employees, Hildus Burreson and Carleton Anderson.

In 1967 Burreson bought Bensch's and Anderson's interests, and from then until Brandt's death last Wednesday, the furniture business had been operated by Burreson and Brandt.

During the last 28 years, Brandt's farming operations have been one of the largest and most prominent in Winneshiek County. After buying the Alex Throndsen farm in Madison Township in 1943, the Decorah businessman later acquired the John Logsdon farm in Canoe Township, the Henry Lubke farm in Madison Township, and the T.B. Stock farm in Bluffton Township.

Three of the Brandt farms have been engaged in dairy production, and the other is a beef farm.

During his long-time business career in Decorah, Mr. Brandt was an active member of the Masonic Lodge, the Odd Fellows, Elks, Oneota Golf and Country Club, and the Decorah Chamber of Commerce. Brandt was also district chairman of the National Federation of Independent Business, headquartered in Washington, D.C. and served as trustee of the Masonic Building Association for many years.

Mr Brandt was a member of the Decorah LUtheran Church and activ in church work.

In earlier years Mr. Brandt ushered and taught Sunday School in the Decorah Lutheran Church and the last years has been a member of the Counting Board.

Among Mr. Brandt's survivors besides his wife are three sisters, Mrs. Lora [should be Leora] Plaht, Postville, Ia., Mrs. Earl (Clare) Haefner of Prescott, Ariz., Mrs. Irvin (Delia) Meyer, McGregor, Ia., two brothers, Harlan Brandt and Ewald Brandt, both on the home farm at Postville. He also is survived by several nieces and nephews.