John Martin Bruestle, age 67, unexpectedly left his loving family on Saturday afternoon, February 28, 2015, at his Savage home.

A Celebration of Life Service will honor John on Wednesday, March 4 at 12 (noon), with a time of gathering starting at 10:30 am, all at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation 4565 Pleasant Street SE, Prior Lake, MN. Pastor Joel Quie will preside. Urn bearers will be his grandchildren.

Henry and Margaret (Nordstrom) Bruestle proudly announced the birth of their youngest of nine children, John on November 15, 1947, in St. Paul, MN. From little on, he grew up in the era living life simple and not having much of anything. But this made John the person who he is today. An individual with great generosity, a humble attitude and the mentality of working hard will get you further in life. His family lived in the Minnesota River bottoms, where they survived living off the land, hunting, fishing, gardening and staying strong. John recalls walking over a mile to and from school. He remembers shifting the animals to high ground as the flood water took over the land. A giver from the beginning, John even gave his prize toy truck to his best friend, who had less than he.

John graduated from Henry Sibley High School in 1965. He proudly served the National Guard for six years in radio communications. He went to school to be a paramedic, but could not find work. John than took a career life as a union carpenter. He was a very proud brother of the Local Union 87 for 37 years, before retiring in the late 1990’s.

On August 5, 1967, John married Linda Lofgren and were blessed with three sons, Tod, Kent and Chad. They were together for twelve years. In 1988, his life was once again filled with love. Standing on the front step at his sister’s friends home, Cheryl McCloskey, John knew instantly it was love at first sight. On May 6, 1988 at Arlington Hills Lutheran Church in St. Paul, they declared their deep love for each other. His family now included Cheryl’s two children, Mindy and Jeff.

John lived an adventurous life and loved being outdoors. He spent countless hours hunting for deer, pheasants, grouse and turkey. Over the years, John enjoyed all types of fishing. He & Cheryl enjoyed many years fishing and spending time with Jim and Carol in Bemidji. John enjoyed the rustic setting of his son Tod’s cabin in Brainerd, for it brought him back to his roots. John’s mind was always thirsty for knowledge when it came to the outdoors. He enjoyed growing trees from seeds and tending to the plants in the vegetable garden. A talented handy man, John could fix just about anything. He enjoyed building miniature cannons and making homemade fireworks – the louder the bang the better!

A simple, caring and loving husband, dad and papa, John‘s greatest joy was his family. He and Cheryl had a very deep love for each other. He adored her, took care of her and was an amazing husband to her. John was the man of their home. It was here, he could be heard whistling tunes as he was proudly completing the house duties for Cheryl. John appreciated everything he had and especially proud of his boats he owned over the years. But it was his third phase of life that was most fulfilling of being that of a grandpa. He relished each special relationship. John loved to share his candy with whomever approached his front door. He enjoyed creating unique useless Christmas presents for his family. John’s legacy will live on in others hearts.

Left to honor John’s life and will be forever missed is his beloved wife of 27 years, Cheryl; children, Tod (Cristi Anderson) Bruestle, Kent (Theresa Oslund) Bruestle, Chad (Robin Landreville) Bruestle, Mindy (John) Diekman, Jeff Swedberg; grandchildren, Tierney, Jordan, Addison, Alyssa, Kaitlin, Kourtney, John Jr., Jack, Anthony; siblings, Jim (Carol) Bruestle, Ron Bruestle, Hank Bruestle, Jeanette Olin, Dave (Pat) Bruestle, Mary Ann (Dave) Forsell, Bobby (Sharon) Bruestle; sister-in-law, Charlotte Bruestle; other loving relatives and devoted friends.

John was welcomed into heaven by his parents, Henry and Margaret; brother, Bill Bruestle; and sister-in-law, Shirley Bruestle.

Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home and Cremation, Prior Lake Chapel, proudly served and cared for the Bruestle family. www.ballardsunderfuneral.com

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