Albert Breuker passed away on November 25, 2025, at the age of 102.
A funeral mass was at 10:30 AM, Monday, December 1, 2025, at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sibley with Father Siby Punnoose and Father Dan Gunther concelebrating. A graveside service with military honors followed at Union Cemetery, rural Harris, Iowa.
A rosary began at 3:45 PM, Sunday, November 30, 2025, with visitation from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Jurrens Funeral Home in Sibley.
Albert was born on December 17, 1922, the only child of John and Mary Dougherty Breuker. Albert attended Harris Community School through the tenth grade and then worked at home on his parents’ farm. In 1941 he bought a truck and started hauling gravel. He worked on the construction of runways in North Dakota, Nebraska, and Texas as part of the war effort.
On October 26, 1942, Albert married Viola Kane. He was drafted into the army in February of 1943 and proudly served his country until the end of World War II. While stationed in Europe, Albert was one of the fortunate ones who survived the Battle of the Bulge.
After being discharged from the army, Albert and Viola began farming on a quarter of land east of Harris. They were blessed with four sons. Farming kept everyone in the family busy, but Albert made time to help out in the community by being a 4-H leader for many years and was a member of the Harris Volunteer Fire Department. In the spring of 1958 the Breuker family moved to a larger farm west of Harris and lived there until 1979, when Albert and Viola moved to a new house in Harris. In August of 1983, Albert’s wife of forty years passed away. Albert continued to live in the house in Harris until 2018, when he was no longer able to live by himself. He became a resident of the Lake Park Care Center at that time and lived there until October of 2024. At that time, he moved to Accura HealthCare in Spirit Lake and lived there until his passing.
While living in Harris, he worked at the Harris Elevator for several years and continued to do some farming. He retired from farming in 2006, having farmed for sixty years. He was mayor in Harris for many years, and when the Harris Cafe closed, Albert set up a little coffee shop in the community building and ran it every morning, six days a week, for many years. Albert was a member of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sibley for many years. He was also a long-standing member of the local American Legion post.
Albert was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Viola, grandson Jeremy, daughter-in-law Charlene, and special friend Della Mae Rubsam.
He is survived by his four sons, Don (Linda), Jim (Linda), Dan (Maureen), and Jerry (Myrna); six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Albert had a long, full life and was loved and admired by many. He will be missed.
