A private family burial will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery in rural Windom, followed by a Masonic Rites service.
A drive-through visitation will be held Friday at the funeral home for one hour prior to services.
John George Brand was born Feb. 22, 1929, to John F. and Mary (Rewerts) Brand in New Ulm. He was baptized in Germantown Evangelical Church and later confirmed in the Methodist Church in Jeffers.
After attending District 35 country school north of Jeffers through sixth grade, he entered public school in Jeffers.
In 1946, he transferred to the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture, graduating in 1948.
Because his mother died when he was 5 years old, John lived with his sister, Myrtle (Vern) Immer and family at age 11. He was a member of the Amboy Township 4-H Club for many years and helped his brother-in-law on the farm. He also helped show purebred shorthorn cattle at county fairs in Minnesota and South Dakota and the Minnesota State Fair.
In 1951, John married Hilda Menken at United Methodist Church in Jeffers. They lived on a farm southwest of Jeffers, where he farmed, fed farrow-to-finish hogs and beef cattle, and raised corn and soybeans until retiring in 2000. He also fed meat goats for several years as a hobby.
John remained a member of Jeffers United Methodist Church and served on the church board and committees for many years.
He also became a member of Siloam Mason Lodge AFAM in Jeffers in 1950 and was elected worshipful Master in 1958. He then became a member of Prudence Lodge in Windom. He held membership in many of the Masonic bodies over the years, many of them for over 50 years. He transferred his membership from Zuhrah Shrine in Minneapolis to El Riad Shrine in Sioux Falls in 2000.
In 1953, he became a member of the Order of Eastern Star in Jeffers, holding the office of Worthy Patron 25 times, consecutively, and was honored for that record.
He also held the office numerous times since joining Arbutus Chapter 169 in Windom and recently held his membership at Ronsford Chapter 43 in Worthington. He held offices in Minnesota, Grand Chapter, OES word and in 1969 was elected to the highest office in the Order, Worthy Grand Patron.
In 2016, John received the Hiram Award from the Grand Lodge of Minnesota for outstanding service to Free Masonry.
John was preceded in death by six brothers and sisters: Oren, Loyd, Edwin, Donald, Glen, Myrtle (Vern) Immer and Margaret (Clement) Batalden.
Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Hilda Brand of Westbrook.