Lawrence Bruhn, 90, of Minot, ND passed away Saturday, February 18, 2023 at the Elison Assisted Living Nursing Home in Minot, ND. Springan Stevenson Funeral Home of Stanley, ND has been entrusted with arrangements.

Lawrence Harold Bruhn was born March 13, 1932 to Harry F. and Rose Anna (Rock) Bruhn at their farm home NW of Blaisdell, ND. He had a twin sister, Florence Harriet (Bruhn) Johnson. He attended grade school in Blaisdell through the 8th grade.

In 1946 they began and attended High School and graduated from Palermo High School in 1950. Lawrence learned and played Basketball during his High School Years (never even seeing a basketball prior to High School). He was proud of his High School Basketball career and many times throughout the years he would pull out his old tournament books to find someone he knew or may have met throughout ND. He loved reminiscing about his basketball career. After High School, he was asked to play with an alumni team called the Palermo Pirates in an independent team tournament in Ray, ND. Lawrence was picked to the all tourney ten there. He received a note in the mail with a key chain with a miniature basketball attached, with a note reading: "You were picked on the all tourney ten here in Ray, ND. Thanks a Million - signed by Claud Higgens.

In the fall of 1956 he was drafted into the US Army and discharged in the fall of 1958. He took his basic training in Ft. Chaffee, AR then went to Ft. Ord, CA and Leipheim Germany for 18 months. He was discharged in Sept 1958 from Ft. Carson, CO. He was proud of the award received for 2nd place in MI-Rifle Field Artillery. His prize was a large trophy and an engraved cigarette lighter.

Lawrence married Darlene Lindberg June 2, 1960. They have 5 Children, 17 Grand Children, and 21 Great-Grand Children.

February 1961, Lawrence and Darlene decided to rent the vacant Leonard Anderson farm north of Blaisdell, ND. The barn was filled with small hay bales, so they bought them and decided to buy some milk cows. Lawrence spent the winter of 1961-62 in the barn calving them out and training them for milking machines. They sold cream for income, shipping it to the train from the Blaisdell Depot to Minot Mandan Creamery and sometimes Farmers Union Creamery in Minot. Once in a while they would take it to the Kenmare Creamery. They sold the dairy cows in 1963 and continued raising range cattle that Lawrence had purchased on shares prior to their marriage. Lawrence and Darlene purchased Lawrence's parents farm in 1962 for pasture and hay land.

Lawrence and Darlene rented/lived at the Anderson farm until May 1968, when they purchased John and Lena Rock Homestead (Lawrence's Maternal Grandparents), where they eventually built a home and raised their family. In 1985 the family home was struck by lightening and started on fire. The home was destroyed, but Lawrence and Darlene remodeled the basement of the home and lived there until 1997. In 1997 they moved to Palermo where they lived until October of 2019 when they moved to Stanley, then in September of 2022 moved into Elison Assisted Living in Minot until Lawrence's passing.

Lawrence had a love for music and was part of a local band called the Palermo Pickers. They entertained regularly throughout the communities at nursing homes, assisted living locations, golden age clubs and even the Hostfest.

He was a proud Grandpa to all of his Grandchildren, who each had a song that he either wrote or sang to them from the time they were babies... and had his "favorites" (especially his granddaughters who competed regularly over who was the one and only favorite). Lawrence was a hard headed, but loving man who never gave up on anyone! His determination to hold on to the ones who needed love the most when they deserved it the least was unconditional. There was nothing he wouldn't do or try to do for any of his kids or grandkids.

He was a favorite uncle to many nieces and nephews and enjoyed playing jokes and tricks on all of them. He was often a safe place to land, or a helping hand to any that needed it. The light was always on, and the door was always open at the Lawrence and Darlene Bruhn Farm.

In his lifetime, he had several jobs. Working for Great Northern Railroad, McGary Brothers Construction paving highway #2 from Stanley to Tagus in 1951, General Motors in South Gate CA in the assembly line, Morris and Knutson at the rock crusher plant at Blaisdell, and in later years traveled with M&K to Poplar, Saco and Wolf Creek MT, Eugene Lure Construction building the dike SW of Williston at the Confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, Peter Kiwit Company during the start of the construction of Minot Air Force Base running the packer paving the runway strips, BW Smith and Drywall Applicator hanging sheetrock in Minot AFB Housing and also traveling to Elsworth AFB in Rapid City SD and the base in Sioux City IA. He joined the Carpenters Local 1032 in Minot and started working on the Minuteman Missile sights, then formed a corporation with Milford Gandrud called XPert Drywall until they split in 1972.

In 1972 Lawrence formed his own business Red's Drywall and trained different employees. He eventually trained his 4 sons and even his daughter and some of his grandchildren helped and learned some of the trade during their growing up years until his semi retirement in 1994. As Red's Drywall, they contracted lots of large jobs in several areas in North Dakota including Dickinson, Rugby, Bottineau, Metigoshe, Devils Lake, Hazen, Twin Buttes, Tioga, Williston, Ray, New Town, Parshall, Willow City, Towner, Powers Lake and Wildrose areas.

Lawrence was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Palermo, The Sons of Norway, and a TRUE Palermo Bobcat.

Lawrence is survived by his wife of 62 years, Darlene (Lindberg) Bruhn; sons, Gregory (Muriel) Bruhn of Blaisdell, ND, Bradley Bruhn of Palermo, ND, Jeffrey Bruhn of Rock Lake ND, Jerimey (Nikki) Bruhn of Blaisdell/Berthold, ND; daughter, LaRinda Bruhn of Minot ND; grandchildren, Sienna Weigel, Sayge Weigel, Lakyn Bruhn, Nicolas Bruhn, Colton Bruhn, Jessica (Wesley) Cervantes, Kayla (Matthew) Mans, Mitchel Bruhn, Jhonda Bruhn, Joshua (Kelli Shaw) Bruhn, Jarvis Bruhn, Layton (Cote Groves )Bruhn, Ryder Bruhn, Zachary Bruhn, Jacob (Shayla) Bruhn, Joseph (Tara) Bruhn, Matthew (Lisa Lapica) Warnke; great-grandchildren, Francisco Cineros, Gianna Cervantes, Myles Mans, Sophia Bruhn, Ruth McLaughlin, Dayne Bruhn-Glaholt, Alexis Bruhn, Jace Azure, Kadence Bruhn, Amari Lawrence Hall, Dominic Patterson, Trenton Bruhn, Trenidi Bruhn, Tatelynn Bruhn, Shane Bruhn, Addlyn Bruhn, Waylon Bruhn, Kianna Bruhn, Sienna McLaughlin, Mitchel Warnke and Hunter Warnke; great-great-grandchild, Aubrie Warnke; brother-in-law, Chester Johnson; sisters-in-law, Martha and Mary Bruhn.

He is preceded in death by daughter-in-law, Debbie Lee (Jeff); parents, Harry and Rose Bruhn; sisters, Florence Johnson and Ethel Stave; brothers, Julius, Gilbert, Roy, and Earl Bruhn.