"My heart aches for your family. I am so sorry for your loss. My family and I will be saying many, many, many prayers for Kristy and the kids. "
In loving memory of
Chris "Brunzy" Brunsvold
October 23, 1975 - October 17, 2020
Christopher Mark "Brunzy" Brunsvold was born on October 23, 1975, in Buffalo Center, the son of Mark and Marsha (Torkelson) Brunsvold. He grew up on a farm near Thompson and as a teenager his family moved to Forest city where he graduated from Forest City High School in 1994. He attended Waldorf College after high school then transferred to Iowa State University to play football. He continued his football career up to Winona State University for a semester before transferring back to Iowa State University where he graduated with a farm management degree.
Following college, Chris lived in Colorado for a short period of time then returned to the Forest City area. He was married to Kristy Gray on August 5, 2006, at their home in Crystal Lake. The couple was blessed with a son, Bode, in 2006; son, Tucker, in 2008; and a daughter, Emma in 2011. He operated Forest City Ford and at the same time opened Shooterz Bar and Grill in Forest City with his buddy, John Larson. Chris always had a passion for auctions, so in 2007 he decided to go to school to become an auctioneer. He loved every minute of it and Bode always loved to listen to his practice tapes while we went on our daily trips with Chris. Chris and his family then moved to Woden where he started Brunsvold Farm Equipment selling anything with wheels or farm related.
His biggest love was for his three children and he made many memories with them on a recent trip to Disney World. Bode and Chris would spend countless hours together making radio shows with both of their love of country music! Chris also enjoyed visiting the area radio stations with Bode so he could practice his radio show voice! One passion he shared with Tucker was his love for tractor and truck pulls. Another passion he shared with Tucker was going on snowmobile/4-wheeler trips and rides, both around here and up to Wisconsin and as far as Oklahoma. He couldn't wait until February rolled around because he could show off his dance moves during the daddy/daughter dances he enjoyed taking Emma to! Emma also talked Chris into allowing her to paint his toenails right before we went on a mini vacation up to Wisconsin Dells.
Besides spending time with his family he also made sure he spent time with his friends and to catch up no matter how long it was since he had seen them. It was always a good time when he would see both new and old friends. The laughs and storytelling always seemed to last well into the night! Our visits with friends often ended with Chris trying to talk Kristy into driving to Perkins!
He also enjoyed snowmobiling and 4-wheeling, going to car shows and cruises, and restoring old cars and tractors. Chris always enjoyed selling and collecting many items. He especially enjoyed collecting pedal cars/tractors, bicycles, and dirt bikes.
He is survived by Kristy and his three children, Bode (14), Tucker (11), and Emma (9), all of Wesley; his mother, Marsha Brunsvold of Clear Lake; two siblings, Eric (Andrea) Brunsvold of Lancaster, SC; Amy Peckham of Clear Lake; 2 nieces; 3 nephews; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his dad; Mark Brunsvold; his grandparents; and three special cousins, Hollis, Tanner, and Shannon.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to his 3 children in the Chris "Brunzy" Brunsvold Memorial Fund.
A celebration of life visitation was held Saturday, October 31, 2020, at the Buffalo Creek Activity Center in Titonka.
You will always be missed and loved by your three amazing children, Bode, Tucker, and Emma!
Tributes
"Sure am gonna miss having the big guy around. A guy that many times would throw his big paw around me and say, \"Jake, it is gonna be alright\". A guy that treated everybody around him, no matter who they were, with the respect they deserved. A friend of an \"unbelievable\" amount of people. If you had the luck to met him, you quickly were a friend. The amount of people he has helped by borrowing something, giving advice, helping sell something, or just giving them a \"bear hug\" is countless. So in memory of this big man, I hope we all try to be more like Chris \"Brunzy\" Brunsvold by caring and helping one another. We owe to him if nothing else. Jason Wirth"
"my heartfelt prayers to the families and friends of Chris on their loss. May he rest in peace. Fly high to the heavens. In Peace, Mark J.VonBank- Park Rapids, Mn.-formerly of Algona, Iowa."
"My dear friend Chris I loved you as a young man years ago when you were a star player for the Waldorf warriors .I was your c leaning lady .You were.a son to be proud of.I wasn\'t a professor or coach but we had many talks in the lounge.Many while I was cleaning always treated me with respect and as you grew older and every time we ran into each other you gave me a hug and we reminiscd about the good old days at Waldorf.You told me of your family and your work and I finally got to tell you the last time we met that my grandson was living at good old Johnson/London Hall and playing for the warriors .You told me he hope he had as good of an experience as he had.You will be missed .May you rest in peace sweet friend."
"Brunzy, my dear friend you will never be forgotten and always missed. RIP buddy. You are a person who\'d you only have to meet once and they would never forget you. I am so glad I asked you to be my freshman college roommate on Wilson Street after you transferred from Iowa state? to WSU?. A few unforgettable memories I have of classic Brunzy are riding your newly bought/old 1980 Enduro Yamaha green dirt bike through campus to practice (only something you could get away with), I had to help you find your first love(!!), Sadie the black lab/puppy who would sit on your lap while you ate a whole box of cereal with a half gallon of milk on my parents 1980 lazy boy watching morning game shows, making fun of your barbed-wire tattoo, its a good thing I was quicker than you because if you ever caught me I\'d be in a world of hurt. You had a beast mode that helped spark our early success at WSU ? I forgive you for your less than desirable driving skills and even worse Iowa phesant guide services. But you sure made up for it with your great stories. I think everyone will agree that you always had something to say and a great story to tell, even if it took \'one more\' Busch Light to make it believable. It made me proud to see you always instilling your love of anything with an engine into your kids and letting them drive. I know you will be missed by many. Praying for your wife and kiddos and family. Love Lars!"
"I met Chris thru the tractor collecting hobby probably around 2010. We talked almost weekly about our mutual interest in tractors and life in general. We had several ?heart? talks. Chris loved his kids and family very much and spoke of them just about every time we talked. We live in NC and finally met in person on 2017 when we stayed in his home and he spent the whole day showing us around his part of the state and introducing us to his friends some of whom I have become good friends with. I DO KNOW for a fact that Chris accepted Jesus as his lord savior so I do have a peace knowing I will see him again. Chris always treated me fair in our business dealings. I will truly miss my as we referred to as our ?1000 mile friendship? David Ferrell, Apex NC "
"I remember when he was dating a girl I went to school w in Ventura while he was playing at iowa state. We went to a football party and he told them I was a recruit from his home town and then he tried to hook me up w some snuggle toothed girl lol. Great man "