Reverend Eugene "Gene" Victor Brueggemann

Rev. Eugene “Gene” Victor Brueggemann, 97, of Longmont, CO, left this earth peacefully on May 31, 2024. Gene was born to Rudolph and Ruth (Stokes) Brueggemann on September 6, 1926, in Lakewood, Ohio. Gene was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. 

A funeral service celebrating the grace of God and Gene’s life of love will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 22nd at Trinity Lutheran Church, 2200 Broadway, Boulder. A reception will follow at the church.

Gene’s ordination as a Lutheran pastor followed his tenure at Concordia Seminary St. Louis, where he received a Master of Divinity degree and completed the coursework for a doctorate. His vicarage was in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where he met his future wife, Lorraine. She moved to St. Louis, and during his final year at seminary, they sang together in the Bach choir. They married on August 5, 1951. He was ordained on August 12 at St.Thomas Lutheran Church, Rocky River, Ohio, and he began his ministry at a mission church in Smithtown, New York at St. Andrews Lutheran Church. His life of service in campus ministry began when called to Faith Lutheran Church in Kent, Ohio, in 1958. In 1964, he established a campus ministry in Evanston, Illinois at Gloria Christi Lutheran Church at Northwestern University. 

As a leader in inter-Lutheran relationship and committed to the ecumenical movement, Gene was instrumental in forming a Lutheran Campus Ministry Association in the 1970s. He represented the broader inter-Lutheran campus ministry community during that tumultuous time in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). Gene was an evangelical leader, advocate, and guide in discussion of the issues of the church. 

At this point in his ministry, he accepted a call in 1975 to the first of four parishes in Colorado: Mt. Zion in Denver, 1975-86; Hosanna in Littleton, 1986-92; St. John’s in Fort Collins, 1992-2005; and finally as visitation pastor at Trinity in Boulder, 2005-2012, having joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

A lifelong learner and scholar, Gene’s writings on theological issues for The Daystar Journal reached thousands of readers involved in the LCMS. He was a co-founder in Boulder of two faith-based discussion groups, Faith & Issues, and a text study group he dubbed “The Ancient Order of the Antiquities.” 

Gene’s passion for history and genealogy led him and Lorraine to take two notable journeys, the first in 1978 to the Holy Land, where he led a tour group following in the footsteps of St. Paul. The second was to Germany in 1987 that combined visits to the major sites of Martin Luther’s life and the Brueggemann ancestral hometown of Schledehausen. Sharing in the joy of this trip was Rev. Ed Peters, Gene’s best friend and spiritual brother from age 14 onward. 

Gene loved his dogs, a good martini, his rose garden, and driving in the mountains. He was an accomplished pianist and organist who until recently sang with his church choir. He and Lorraine opened up their hearts and homes to the many colleagues, students, and friends they made over the years. His connection to family in Ohio and Lorraine’s in Wisconsin never diminished, and he returned to family reunions as often as possible.

He is survived by five children, Tom Brueggemann, Palm Springs, CA,  Karen Williams (Mark), Capistrano Beach, CA, Louise Brueggemann, Forest Park, IL, Miriam Nuney (John), San Jose, CA, Priscilla Murphy, Boulder, CO; granddaughters MacKenzie Murphy, San Jose, CA, Kaley Murphy, Boulder, CO; step-grandchildren Kristin, Brad, and Kevin, and step-great-granddaughters Ruby and Maxine, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife of nearly 63 years, Lorraine, and his brothers Clifford, Thomas, and David. 

Contributions in Gene’s name may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church or online at https://trinityboulder.org/