Dean "Whitey" Bruess

Dean "Whitey" Bruess age 62 of Fredericksburg, IA died Friday, January 20, 2023 at his home. Funeral arrangements are pending with Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. 641-394-4334. Dean “Whitey” Bruess was born on March 19th 1960 and raised on a farm outside of Little Turkey, Iowa. He was the second eldest of eight siblings, his hair being so blonde he got the nickname most people know him by. A jack of all trades, Dean was a hard worker and could fix just about anything, working a wide range of jobs, including but not limited to, farming, construction and driving truck between WInona, Minnesota (the only place he lived besides Northeast Iowa) to the Twin Cities. He could fix just about anything and only hired out work if absolutely necessary. When he wasn’t working, you could find Dean catching up with friends, family, fishing, or going wherever the Rock n’ Roll was at, being he was adventurous, as well as loved drinking beer and spending time with his friends. Wherever he went he was certain to lighten the mood or force a smile even during stressful situations. Dean would be the first person to pull over or help someone on the side of the road and he rarely judged a person’s character without knowing them. Wherever he went, he was known to be helpful and would offer a hand when he could. Born in Iowa, Dean opted to become a lifelong Green Bay Packer fan, which lead to the somewhat awkward situation of living in Winona, Minnesota, amongst the angsty Vikings fans. Around the time of the ‘96 Packers Super Bowl Victory, a snowman Whitey and his son Nicholas built was featured on the front page of the Winona Daily News Paper, having been sprayed with green and yellow food-coloring, the Packers themed snowman stood out like a sore thumb on the busy Winona road. Despite the rivalry, Whitey made many new friendships after he left his stomping grounds of Northeast Iowa to live closer to his children Nicholas and Natalie in Winona and to seek new work opportunities. Dean spent the latter years of his life partially retired in Fredericksburg, Iowa, still enjoying time with friends and with his daughter Natalie, who lived and spent time with him in the area. Whitey has countless friends and loved ones who will remember him fondly.