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Bette and John Brandenburg

MARQUETTE, MI – Bette Elizabeth (Burton) Brandenburg, age 98, passed away March 7, 2024, at home, in the loving care of her family and Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice. Her husband, John Junior Brandenburg, age 100, passed away October 24, 2024, at Brookridge Heights Assisted Living Facility, in the loving care of family and Lake Superior Life Care and Hospice.

The couple shared a remarkable 75 years of marriage, a journey that began on August 7, 1948. Together, they built a legacy of family, service, community involvement, and adventure, leaving a profound impact on all who knew them.

Bette was born March 4, 1926, in Battle Creek, Michigan, to William Burton and Elizabeth (Dobson) Burton, and had two siblings, Dobson Burton and Margaret Wilson, who preceded her in death. A dedicated student and talented diver, Bette earned national recognition diving competitively at the Kellogg Sanitarium under coach Mr. Sparks. She graduated from Battle Creek High School in 1943 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin before transferring to Michigan State University on a diving scholarship. In 1950, she graduated with a BA in English Education. While she dedicated herself to homemaking, Bette also found joy in numerous hobbies, including sewing, knitting, needlepoint, reading, water and snow skiing, and active participation in bridge and harmony clubs. Her warm personality and love for learning were felt by her family and friends.

John Junior Brandenburg was born February 1, 1924, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the youngest child of Johannes and Anna (Dannekamp) Brandenburg, with two older sisters, Dana Meier and Anna Chatterton, who both predeceased him. John graduated from Schoolcraft High School in 1941, where he excelled in basketball, football, and track. He continued his education at Kalamazoo College and later Michigan State University, graduating in 1948 with a degree in Business Administration and Teaching. John’s life of service began with his enlistment in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Rising through the ranks, he served as a pilot in the Pacific Theatre with the 20th Air Force, 4th Emergency Rescue Squadron, witnessing history as he saw the cloud that arose after the Hiroshima bomb during a mission on August 6, 1945. John’s dedication and bravery earned him the Air Medal with Cluster. After his active duty, he continued serving in the Michigan National Guard until 1963. His career in education began in 1948 with Grand Ledge Public Schools, where he worked as a teacher, coach, and principal before retiring as Associate Superintendent in 1979. He later served as Assistant Director of Placement at Michigan State University from 1981 to 1984. John found great joy in tennis, which he played into his late eighties, and was an enthusiastic supporter of MSU football and basketball.

Together, John and Bette were beloved parents to William Burton Brandenburg (b. 1952), Joanna Brandenburg Pearce (b. 1956) and her husband Douglas, and John James Brandenburg (b. 1957) and his wife Kathy. They were cherished grandparents to Tavi (daughter of William), Liz and Kate (daughters of Joanna), and Eva and Jori (children of John James), and their great-granddaughter Bryn Bette.

The Brandenburgs shared a life full of joy, split between their home in Grand Ledge, Michigan, and summers at their Walloon Lake cottage, a family tradition from 1953 to 2002. In 1991, they embraced the warmth of Florida winters in Deerfield Beach and later settled in Marquette in 2005 as original owners of the converted Flanigan Building Condominium Association.

After their retirement, John and Bette explored the world together, traveling to New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Madeira, United Kingdom, throughout Europe, and across North America.

John and Bette’s enduring love and friendship, combined with their dedication to family, community, and lifelong learning, will be remembered with love and admiration by all who had the privilege to know them. Their legacy of kindness, resilience, and adventure lives on through their family and friends.

Honoring their request, a celebration of life will be held at a later date sometime this summer.

Fassbender Swanson Hansen Funeral and Cremation Services is serving the family, where condolences may be expressed online at fassbenderswansonhansen.com.