Bryan James Unke

A time for remembering and celebrating the life of Bryan James Unke, 40, of Fairmont, MN, will be 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, December 12, 2025, at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Fairmont. A private family service will be held at Lakeview Funeral Home with burial held at a later date in Lakeside Cemetery in Fairmont. Bryan passed away Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at his home in Fairmont, MN. The Lakeview Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Fairmont is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Bryan was born on September 9, 1985, to parents Scott and Caroline Unke. Bryan was raised in Fairmont and attended K-12 in Fairmont Area Schools. He was active in all sports and participated in plays at the Fairmont Opera House. He enjoyed doing tours of the Opera House with his Dad for motor coach groups. After graduation Bryan attended school at Normandale in Bloomington, MN for 3 years.
Bryan had a good life. He had the good fortune of traveling a lot in and out of the country. He, along with friends, enjoyed canoeing and camping in the wilderness. Especially in cold weather.
In 2014 his daughter, Rosalee Caroline Unke was born and in 2019 his daughter, Madilyn Everly Unke was born. It would be impossible to describe how much he loved his two girls and how much they loved him.
For the last 13 years he has been Manager of The Marina Lodge Restaurant in Fairmont. He enjoyed listening to live music and encouraging musicians to play on his stage. One of his normal routines was to text his parents and others a link to a song with a great message that was inspirational to them.
Bryan is going to be missed so much by a large family. His daughters Rosalee and Madilyn Unke, his parents Scott and Caroline Unke; his partner Shea Ripley and her son, Layne; his sisters Gina Garcia and Heidi Hackett; his grandparents Roland and Shirley Unke; five nieces and nephews; twelve cousins; twelve uncles and aunts; and countless friends.
Bryan was preceded in death by his grandparents, Marge and Dale Nelson; and one aunt, Laurie Goerndt.
The family requests memorials be made to the "Rosie and Madi Scholarship Fund" at Profinium Financial in Fairmont, MN, and the Minnesota Epilepsy Foundation in memory of Bryan. Please visit www.efmn.org to complete the online donation.
.