Katie Bromen

All who knew Katie Bromen would agree that there was no one who met her and was not left unchanged. She was well known throughout her community for her deep family roots, but it was also because she was outgoing and generous with her time and resources. Katie was the sort of person who believed in treating others with honor and respect, and she was selfless in everything she did. A loving wife and mother, she was intentional in her role, and was thrilled to witness her family tree blossom to include the grandchildren and great-grandchildren she adored. Although life will never be the same without Katie here, she leaves behind a deeply embedded footprint that will remain forever a part of the community she loved.

The Roaring Twenties were a vibrant decade of great prosperity with radios, refrigerators, and motion pictures being among the noteworthy events. It was just as this time was dawning that August and Meta (Andersen) Dahlem, of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, welcomed the birth of the baby girl they named Catherine on July 4, 1920, in their family home. She would sleep in the same bedroom for 84 years. She was the younger of two children in her family, raised alongside her brother, Willis, in their home on Walnut Street with the Victorian arches, the large screened in front porch with the vase on the corner post inside for flowers, and the summer chairs and occasional cot for sitting in the late afternoon and evenings. The house itself has always been an important part of Katie’s life. It is an anchor for the entire family.

In many ways, Katie was a young girl of her generation. She enjoyed growing up in the small, quaint town, and she could often be found out playing tennis or working alongside other neighborhood kids decorating wagons and trikes or making floats for parades around the block. The Dahlem family was a close-knit group who often spent warm summer evenings swimming at Fairy Lake. Katie was particularly close to her father, and she was deeply saddened with his sudden death when she was a young girl of 16. After graduating from high school in 1938, she set her dreams of college aside and joined her aunts and mother working as a telephone operator.

On April 18, 1945, Katie traveled by train to New York, New York, and was united in marriage to Alex L. Bromen in St. John’s Cathedral. As a young bride, she lived in Long Island, New York, and Norfolk, Virginia for a short time, while her husband was in the Navy during WWII. Upon their return to Minnesota, they settled into her childhood home where they raised their five children, Alex R. “Bob,” Don, Bill, Cathy, and Joann “Joni.” When her children were small, Katie focused her attention on raising them, but in 1961 she went back to work as a customer service representative part-time for the phone company. She remained there until retiring in 1983, shortly after the business office in Sauk Centre closed. Katie also made sure that all her children had the opportunity to attend college. She was an active part of her children’s lives, and she was so proud of everything they did including her son, Bob’s performance in the Sinclair Lewis Pageant after dyeing his hair red and “volunteering” him for the role.

As the last surviving grandchild of Albert Dahlem, a pioneer who came to Sauk Centre in 1868, Katie was the heartbeat of her community. Perhaps one of her most notable contributions was her nearly 56 year involvement in Poppy duty. Something that was so near and dear to the heart of Sauk Centre residents, the Poppy was a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war, and it represents the hope that none have died in vain. Except for a year or two over a span of 56 years, Katie was standing on a Sauk Centre Street corner handing out poppies as a volunteer Auxiliary member for the American Legion and the VFW. In addition, she was a member of The Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, Sinclair Lewis Foundation, Sauk Centre Area Historical Society, and the Sauk Centre Area Chamber of Commerce as well as the American Legion Post 67 and Paul F. Donart VFW Post 2853 Auxiliaries. Katie was also a member of the Telephone Pioneers. At church, she sang in their choir, was very involved in the promotion of Lessons & Carols, which became a community Christmas Festival, and remained active in the church for as long as she was able.

Over the years, Katie was always a bustle of activity. She was a gracious and welcoming hostess who held dinner parties, bridge parties, and showers at the house. In the summer, the neighborhood children were frequently invited to the front porch for lemonade and cookie parties. When her mother could no longer get out to see her friends, Katie started hosting a Christmas Tea, opening her doors to over a 150 guests, which became a tradition that remained in place until 2003. Although she was often gone, on the evenings that she was home she enjoyed reading, sewing, knitting, or even dabbling around with painting a bit. Together Alex and Katie loved music and dancing, and they were the most amazing partners on the dance floor and in life.

It wasn’t that she had never left Sauk Centre as she traveled quite extensively. She and Alex traveled to the Bahamas, Venezuela, when son, Don was in the Peace Corps, Europe, Hawaii and all over North America.

A woman who exemplifies beauty, grace, elegance, and selfless service to others, Katie Bromen was an extraordinary person to know and love. She was a stranger to none and a friend to all who had a way of making everyone she met feel special. Although Katie was deeply devoted to her community, her family was always first and foremost in her life. Truly beautiful on the inside and out, she was a blessing to who were within her reach.

Catherine “Katie” D. Bromen, of Sauk Centre, died on Tuesday, August 25, 2015. Katie’s family includes her children, Alex R. “Bob” Bromen (Mary Winkler) of Olympia, WA, Don (Pam) Bromen of Stillwater, Bill Bromen of Sauk Centre, Cathy (Rick) Arendt of Seattle, WA, and Joann “Joni” (Tom) Maleska of Melrose; six grandchildren, Beth (Tom) Lemen, Matt (Colleen) Bromen, Nick Bromen, Paul Bromen, Paige Bromen (fiancé, Adam McCullough) and Brian Arendt; four great grandchildren, Luke Lemen, Will Lemen, Claire Bromen, and Charley Bromen. Katie was preceded in death by husband, Alex on October 13, 2003; parents, August and Meta Dahlem; and brother, Willis Dahlem. A funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday, August 31st at the Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan in Sauk Centre with The Rev. Roger Phillips presiding. Interment will follow in Greenwood Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 3-7 p.m. Sunday and 10-11 a.m. Monday at Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre. Serving as casket bearers will be Matt Bromen, Paul Bromen, Paige Bromen, Adam McCullough, Brian Arendt, and Tom Maleska. Please visit www.pattonschad.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.