Brandon Laubenthal

Brandon Louis Laubenthal, son of Richard L. and Sheila A. (Wilson) Laubenthal-Black, was born September 1, 1983, in Estherville, IA. He grew up on farm south of Swea City as a young boy. Following the death of his father in 1992, his family moved to Osceola, and three years later moved to Algona. Brandon graduated from Algona High School in 2002, during which he was very active in the FFA program and received the prestigious American FFA Degree. He acquired his Associate's Degree in Auto Mechanics from Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, in 2004 and was an integral part of several auto shops' maintenance teams in Bancroft and Algona. When asked what he did for a living, Brandon would often laugh and state there were "too many things to name." He was part owner of Bob Boland Ford in Bancroft, ran his own business and trucking company - BLL Unlimited, and farmed religiously with his Uncle Ken, family friend Art Kahler, and long time partner-in-crime, Steve Berte. Brandon spent countless hours on his cell phone, working or coordinating or giving his friends a hard time...or snap-chatting. He helped usher and count money at St. John's Church in Bancroft, and was always re...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

and willing to help friends or family, near or far. Like his father, Brandon was a man of action and energy. He possessed an unmatched zeal for work and life. He loved his fiancée, and he loved his family and friends. He loved staying busy, living each day to the fullest, and as he often stated, he loved "keeping it real." Brandon, 31, of Bancroft, died Friday, January 30, 2015, as result of a snowmobile accident near Ironwood, Michigan. A funeral Mass for Brandon L. Laubenthal was held on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at 10:30 AM at St. John's Catholic Church in Bancroft. He was laid to rest next to his father at St. John's Catholic Cemetery in Bancroft. He is survived by his mother and step-father, Sheila Laubenthal-Black and her husband Jim of Algona; his fiancée, Chandra Foertsch of Bancroft; two sisters, Captain Shannon Laubenthal of Anchorage, AK, and Kendra Bell and her husband Jeff of Madison, WI; his grandparents, Margaret Laubenthal of Bancroft and Gerald and Belva Wilson of Cresco; a step-brother and two step-sisters, Byron (Anna) Black of Rochester,MN, Rachael Black and Elizabeth Black, both of St. Paul, MN. He is also survived by aunts and uncles, Karen (Gary) Chaput of Marion, KS, Ken (Peggy) Laubenthal of Bancroft, Mary Lou (Lynn) Stevens of Algona, Cynthia (Tom) Arndorfer of Bancroft; Charles (Julie) Laubenthal of Swea City, Dana (Mitzi) Wilson of Evans, GA, Bart (Julie) Wilson of Cresco, and Todd (Lori) Wilson of Algona, as well as numerous cousins, other relatives, and many, many special friends. Brandon was preceded in death by his father, Richard, on February 6, 1992; his grandfather, Louis Laubenthal; and an uncle, Dennis Anderson.