Anne (Marcus) Brouwer

Anne Brouwer, age 98, of Willmar and formerly of Prinsburg, was called to her heavenly home on Monday morning, March 20, 2023.

Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. followed by the funeral service at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 31, at the First Christian Reformed Church.   Interment will be at Holland Township Cemetery.  Arrangements are with the Tri-County Funeral Home in Prinsburg.  www.tricountyfuneral.com

The second of nine children, Anne was the first-born daughter to Garriet and Anna (Hoffman) Marcus. Born on the family farm near Prinsburg, Minnesota, in Kandiyohi County, on November 23, 1924, she was baptized as an infant at First Christian Reformed Church, the same church that is now hosting her funeral.

She attended District #101 School in rural Prinsburg through the eighth grade and then for several years, helped on the family farm. On January 9, 1946, she married Francis Bernard Freese. From this union, a son, Garry Francis, and a daughter, Sharilyn Ann, were born. After the dissolution of this marriage, Anne went on to work as an in-home caretaker to keep a roof over her children’s heads and food on the table. On August 21, 1951, she married Jacob DeZeeuw, Sr., and lived in Boyden, Iowa, with her children. A couple of years after Jacob’s passing in 1968, Anne enrolled at the Northwest Iowa Vocational School in Sheldon, Iowa, and received her GED. She worked for many years as a nurse’s aide in nursing homes and as a home health aide, retiring just a few months shy of her 80th birthday.

Anne married John Brouwer on January 22, 1971. Together, they farmed near Chandler, Minnesota, and Middleburg, Iowa. Upon retirement, they moved to Prinsburg, Minnesota. After nearly 34 years of marriage, John passed away November 22, 2004. Anne then moved to her daughter’s home in St. Michael, Minnesota, and remained there until her daughter’s passing in 2020. With the help of her granddaughter, Jacquelyn, she then moved to Vista Prairie at Copperleaf in Willmar, Minnesota, for her final years.

Anne was quite resilient, self-sufficient, and extremely active. While residing at Copperleaf, she crocheted hundreds of afghans and gave one to every resident, and/or members of their family, made and passed out hundreds of bookmarks in the shape of the Cross, hiked, played with goats, went fishing, and joined many weekly shopping sprees to her local Wal-Mart or Menards. She even survived a bout of COVID in the Fall of 2020 - many assumed she would simply live forever! She and her granddaughter, Jacquelyn, would often joke that Anne was older than sliced bread, the Gerber baby, and television sets; and that she lived through 17 Presidential elections. She also enjoyed signing in church choirs and playing the keyboard and organ at home.

She is survived by her son, Garry (and Thayer) Freese of Kodak, Tennessee; stepson, James Brouwer of Ripon, California; stepdaughters, Lynetta Brouwer of Dodge Center, Minnesota; and Rosalie (Rev. Wendall) Davelaar of Hollandale, Minnesota; granddaughter, Karry (Scott) Campbell of Laguna Hills, California; grandson, Buddy Freese of Apple Valley, California; granddaughter, Diane Tegtmeyer of Iowa Falls, Iowa; granddaughter, Jacquelyn Payne of Sun City, Arizona; and grandson, William James Garry Simchuck of Minneapolis, Minnesota, plus over 60 other great, great-great, and great-great-great grandchildren and step-grandchildren!  Also surviving are two brothers, Calvin (and Mavis) Marcus of Prinsburg, and Gerald (and Kathy) Marcus of Willmar; two sisters, Josie Swart of Prinsburg and Eleanor Veurink of Pease, Minnesota, besides many other nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands; three of her brothers, Francis Marcus, Dick Marcus and William Marcus; her sister, Selma Hubers and brothers-in-law, Chuck Hubers and John Zondervan; brother-in-law, Stanley Swart; brother-in-law, Gerrit Veurink; sister-in-law Sarah Marcus; daughter, Sharilyn and sons-in-law, James Simchuck and Raymond Schmitt; stepdaughter, Anabelle Brouwer; step-grandson, Wesley Davelaar; and step-granddaughter and step-grandson Nora & Weston Jost.

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