Irwin J. Bruhn, M.D. of Walworth, and Englewood, Fla., died June 7, 2013.
Private services were held.
Irwin was born in 1927 in Milwaukee to Irwin J. Bruhn, Sr. and Edna (Kreitlow) Bruhn.
He attended Pulaski High School, where he excelled in mathematics, biology, speech, drama and music, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class.
After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He participated in a task force sent to the Mediterranean. He was offered a position in Officers Candidate School, but declined because he knew he wanted to become a family physician.
Irwin then attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as a pre-medical student earning his BS degree in 1952. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison, in 1958. He interned at Rockford Memorial Hospital, Rockford, Ill., 1959-1960, and started his medical career in Walworth in 1961.
During his long and active medical career, Dr. Bruhn served as president of staff of Lakeland Hospital in Elkhorn, 1976-1980, and as president of staff of Harvard Memorial Hospital in Harvard, Ill., during 1964-1966.
He was a member of the American Medical Association, State Medical Society of Wisconsin and Walworth County Medical Society. He was an officer and delegate for these societies. He provided healthcare services for many other community organizations.
As a proud veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he was a member of American Legion Post 102 of Walworth.
Dr. Bruhn was a member of Faith Lutheran Church 1959-2006, acting as president of Church Council in 1968. He was a Rotarian with a long record of perfect attendance: Walworth-Fontana Rotary 1959-2006 (president 1964-1965), and later in Minocqua and Englewood.
He was president of the Walworth-Fontana Chamber of Commerce in 1962. He was a long serving board member for Walworth Elementary School (1966-1991), Clerk of Board (1970-1991).
He was a member of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Singing in America, the Lemon Bay Chord Company, Englewood, and the Lakeland Chorus of Minocqua. Dr. Bruhn was selected for inclusion in the 1976 Bicentennial Edition of Wisconsin Men of Achievement.
Perhaps the best summary of Dr. Bruhn’s life, a life well lived, comes from his own words:
“Medical education at the University of Wisconsin was a wonderful experience. After graduation, my wife and children, as well as my parents and Dorothy’s parents, had a celebration dinner. I’ll always remember and have repeated many times what I said on that occasion. I said if I never in the future could care for patients in my own clinical practice, I thank God that I had the opportunity to study and learn the beautiful profession of medicine. In retrospect, I can say that I was doubly blessed because I was able to care for thousands of patients, deliver 2,000 babies and make house calls for over 38 years. I retired in 1996 and live six months in Minocqua, Wis., and six months in Englewood, Fla. The greatest reward of retirement is I get to spend 24/7/365 with my Dear One, Dorothy, my wife of 63 years. We enjoy biking, golfing, traveling, spending time with our children, grandchildren and friends. I also sing with the barbershoppers and play clarinet and saxophone in a dance band. In summary, a gracious God has blessed me.”
Dr. Bruhn is survived by his wife, Dorothy; and six children, David Bruhn, BS, JD, Hudson, Wis., Susan (Bruhn) Earnest, BSN, MHA, Walworth, Sara (Bruhn) Ceschi, BSN, Fontana, Leah Bruhn, BA, Libertyville, Ill., Rachel (Bruhn) Vazquez, BA, MA Voice Soprano, Zurich, Switzerland, and Joel Bruhn, BS, MA Biology, JD, Portland, Ore. He was the proud grandfather of five grandchildren, Sara and Noah Vazquez, Samuel and David Horowitz, and Katherine Ceschi.
