Daniel C. Brown

COTTAGE GROVE - Daniel Charles Brown, age 92, died on Nov. 24, 2021. Born in Cottage Grove on Sept. 12, 1929, he was the grandson of early (1878) Dane County German immigrants, August and Amelia (Treucker) Braun, and the son of Otto and Martha (Wiese) Brown. The youngest of nine children raised during the Great Depression, he grew up on the Maher Farm on old Hwy 30 (now Cottage Grove Rd) before moving with his mother to Blair Street in Madison during World War II. Dan attended Madison East and Central High Schools and at one point held the all-time Madison record for the discus and shot-put for 9th graders. After the war, he went to work for his brother-in-law, Howard Johnson, and dug many basements and sewer lines during the post-war building boom in Madison fueled by the returning servicemen. In 1951, Dan was drafted into the Korean War and served honorably before being discharged in 1953. He resumed his career as a heavy equipment operator and in 1964 he rushed to Anchorage, Alaska to help clean up the rubble and rebuild after the devastation caused by the Alaskan Earthquake. Returning to Madison, Dan met and married Yvonne Padfield in 1968. In December 1974, Dan made the treacherous winter drive on the old Alcan Highway and returned to Alaska where he remained until his retirement in 1994. Single again, he returned to Wisconsin and reconnected with a childhood friend, Joan Krueger, and they happily became life partners and enjoyed their retirement together on Gull Lake in Springbrook, Wis., and their many trips to local casinos. Dan and Joan moved back to Cottage Grove in 2001 and enjoyed their life together until Joan’s death in 2013. Dan was a history buff, sports trivia guru, sports fan, crossword solver, Harley and classic car enthusiast and an avid reader. In his later years, he was interviewed by family and shared his many memories of growing up in Madison during the Depression and World War II, and his legacy is those stories forever recorded for posterity in a family history book written by family members. One year ago, Dan was reconnected with his son, who was born in 1962, Daniel Charles Lauder. Father and son bonded this past year and Dan junior was at Dan’s bedside the day he died. Father and son were very grateful to have had this last year together. Dan was able to live independently until a few weeks before his death with the help of nephew Joe (Kim) Brown and Joan’s son, Stephen (Darlene) Cooley. Dan is survived by his son, Daniel (Vickie) Lauder in Missouri; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Yvonne; his soulmate, Joan Krueger; grandson, Marcus Lauder; all of his siblings and their spouses, Adeline (Arnold) Tranter, Angeline, Beatrice (Albert) Bennesh, Benjamin (Edith), Rosalie, Frank (Retta), Faith (Howard) Johnson, and Theodore “Teddy”: nephews, Dale Brown, Theodore Brown, Jerry, Tom, Larry and Ricky Johnson, and Lawrence Tranter; and niece, Karen (Brown) Peterson. The family would like to thank the Madison Veterans Hospital for their care and hospice services, and their respectful “Final Tribute”. Per Dan’s request, no services will be held. All Faiths Funeral & Cremation Services of Madison is assisting the family. Online condolences can be made at www.866allfaiths.com.