Daniel Bruene

Daniel James Bruene, age 73, of rural Gladbrook, Iowa, passed away peacefully following a lengthy illness on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Rehabilitation Center of Lisbon, IA. Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at the Gladbrook United Methodist Church in Gladbrook. Graveside services will follow the visitation at Gethmann Cemetery in rural Gladbrook. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Alpha Gamma Rho Scholarship Fund or the Tama County Soil and Water Conservation District. Anderson Funeral Homes has been entrusted with the arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.andersonfhs.com.
Born on December 2, 1951, Dan was the eldest child of the late Kenneth and Ruth Ann (Kleen) Bruene. He is lovingly remembered by his siblings: Marilou (Steve) Wegner of Platte City, Missouri; Leslie (Bill) Holl of Lake Ozark, Missouri; John (Deb) Bruene of Solon, Iowa; and Jodi (Tom) Day of Eagan, Minnesota and foreign exchange brother Bengt Heggertveit of Oslo, Norway.
Dan attended Iowa State University, where he was a proud member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity. Agriculture was the cornerstone of his life-he farmed and took pride in his involvement with the pork producer organization. Like his father before him, Dan was deeply committed to land stewardship and served as a county soil and water conservation commissioner. He also served as Conservation Districts of Iowa state director for two terms.
Life on the farm in Gladbrook brought Dan his greatest happiness. He cared for several farm cats and his beloved dogs, Mandy and Lucky. Dan was often found in his shop tinkering on cars and collecting more tools than any one job could require. If you had a mechanical question-especially about cars-Dan likely had the answer.
He had a passion for Corvettes, owning three over the years and enjoyed attending car shows. Dan also enjoyed his travels to Colorado, especially frequent Bruene family trips and his role as the "sag wagon" driver for Ride the Rockies, which he did for many years.
Dan was a proud uncle to Zac and Corby Wegner, Mallory Walsh and Bryant Holl, Blake, Lucas and Maegan Bruene, and Dylan and Andrew Day. He is fondly remembered for wearing a "no whining" button, bringing frozen corn to Thanksgiving dinners, and his imperfect driving skills. He is also survived by 7 great nieces and 1 great nephew.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff and residents of Lisbon Rehabilitation Center for their compassionate care and companionship. Special thanks to Ken for his many rides to appointments, and to Dan's fraternity brothers for their recent visits and calls that meant so much.
Dan will be remembered for his quiet nature, mechanical ease, and the love he had for his family, his dogs and his farm.