Carl Brush

We are sad to announce the passing of Carl William Brush. He lived an active 80 years of life and was loved by many people. He held a quiet presence and was a friend to all. He was thoughtful, kind, and incredibly intelligent. He always had a list of projects he was working on and he was a stickler for proper grammar. To the delight of those who knew him, he would edit the newspaper and correct highway signs as he drove by.

Carl’s happy place was in the sun which is why he enjoyed his summers in South Dakota and winters in Florida in retirement. He appreciated attention to detail, exploring new places and spending time with his family. He was an attentive, patient and loving husband, brother, father, grandfather and friend.

Carl was born on May 5, 1945 in Chelsea, Iowa and transitioned out of life on April 30, 2026. After serving in the Navy on the USS Forrestal, he attended Iowa State University and worked as a manufacturing engineer at New Holland in Grand Island, Nebraska for 28 years. Following retirement, he married his best friend, Jan Caputo Brush, and they spent countless hours camping and cycling 49 US states. Together was their favorite place to be.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Alice and Cecil Brush, his in-laws John and “Doodle” Caputo, sister-in-law Carol Brush, and daughter Onna.

He is survived and deeply missed by his wife, Jan Caputo Brush, brothers Martin (Sue) Brush, Warren (Verna) Brush, and Brian Brush, daughters Julie Brush (Iran Johnson) and Janell Brush (Eric Nagid), son Dax Lauther (Nicole Fevold), five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Donations in honor of Carl can be made to the Heartland Humane Society in Yankton, SD or Friends of Gavin’s Point National Fish Hatchery.