Dan Brandenburg, owner and publisher of The Marion Advertiser, died Monday, Aug. 26, after battling stomach cancer. He was 68.
Brandenburg was born Oct. 6, 1950, in Clintonville, to Joseph and Lois (Wulk) Brandenburg. He graduated from Marion High School in 1969 and from Viterbo College in La Crosse, where he earned a degree in printing and publishing.
On July 7, 1973, he married his wife, Patsy. Together they had one daughter, Angie.
Brandenburg, who delivered newspapers as a kid, started working at the Advertiser in high school. He spent more than 50 years at the paper, including 30 as owner after he bought the paper in 1985 from longtime publisher Leland “Korny” Krueger.
In February 2017, Brandenburg was diagnosed with stomach cancer. In spite of the diagnosis, Dan, Patsy and Angie have continued to put the newspaper out every week.
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“We’ve always been positive about this whole thing,” Brandenburg told the WNA in August 2017. “I never sat there and said, ‘Why me?’ I said, ‘OK, game on.’ We’ve got God as our primary physician and he’s guiding us and our oncologist.”
In a Facebook post Monday, Patsy shared the news of Dan’s death with family and friends, along with one wish from Dan — to get the paper out this week. She asked for patience this week as they mourn his loss and carry out their promise to keep the newspaper going.
Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday, Sept. 28, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Marion. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at the church.
