Rev. Daniel Praeuner

Services for Reverend Daniel "Dan" C. Praeuner, age 77, of Ranchester, WY, will be at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, January 24, 2026, at St. John Lutheran Church in Battle Creek, Nebraska. Reverend Greg Prauner will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Steffen Mortuary in Battle Creek is in charge of arrangements.

Daniel Charles was received into eternal life on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at his home in Ranchester, WY. He departed this life in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection, trusting fully in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dan was born June 15, 1948, in Norfolk, Nebraska, and was baptized into Christ on July 1, 1948. He was confirmed in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod on June 3, 1962. From an early age, Dan's life was shaped by faith, music, learning, and service; gifts he would faithfully offer throughout his lifetime.

Dan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Wayne State College in Nebraska where he met and married his wife of 49 years, Roxanne Eden Kruse. He began his professional life as a band director, teaching music in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and Vernal, Utah. After over 20 years of teaching, Dan attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While there, he sang in the Kantorei seminary choir, which traveled throughout the United States and overseas. Music remained a lifelong passion and vocation.

Dan was ordained on August 22, 1993, and faithfully served congregations in Shelton, NE; Red Cloud, NE; Riverton, WY; Roswell, NM; Pine Bluffs, WY/Grover, CO; and Chadron, NE. He also served as headmaster of classical Christian schools in Riverton and Roswell. Even after retirement, Dan continued to preach, teach, and serve wherever he was needed, along with his wife Patricia "Patti" Anne Praeuner, who he was married to for nine years. Together, they remained active in ministry within the Wyoming District.

Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Carl Martin Praeuner and Ann Marie Heybrock; his brother, Randall; and his beloved wife, Roxanne Eden.

He is survived by his wife Patti; brother, Roger; his daughters, Lynn (Brian) Penton and Carrie (Kevin) Huneke; and his grandchildren: Abbey, Allison, and Amber (Lynn's children), and Janelle, Daniel, and Martha (Carrie's children). He was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Levi and Vincent.

Dan was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and his family was a constant source of joy and gratitude throughout his life.

Dan's life bore witness to Christ through teaching, preaching, music, and faithful service. He is remembered with thanksgiving and entrusted to the promises of God, confident that whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.homeforfuneralsinc.com.