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Brooke Bowen Anson, 85, of New Glarus, WI, passed away on March 15, 2020. His departure was prolonged, not on his terms, and thus considered by him to be a great nuisance. He was loved and will be missed by more people than he realized.

Brooke was born November 18, 1934, in Orchard, NE, to George and Irma Anson. He grew-up in Fremont, NE, graduated from Fremont High School in 1952, and enlisted in the Navy from 1953-1955. After leaving the Navy, he received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Nebraska Wesleyan University and taught high school English, Speech, and Theater in O'Neill, NE. The Pygmalion nature of this effort was not lost on him and he soon moved on to earn a Master of Science in Library Science from The University of Illinois. He married his second wife, Julie Anson (Williams) in 1966, and shortly thereafter began a long tenure at UW-Stout in Menomonie, WI, from 1969 to 1999. In 2001, he moved to Columbia, MO, where he and Julie lived until her passing in 2015, after which he relocated to New Glarus, WI.

He was fiercely independent, a firm believer in free-will, and a perfectionist with a life-long passion for woodworking, music, and reading as well as feeding wild birds and caring for his two lovebirds, Bird 1 and Little Bird, in the last quarter of his life.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Irma Anson; his wife, Julie Anson; his sister-in-law, Vicki Anson; and his oldest son, Dennis Norman.

He is survived by his brother, Lynn Anson; three married sons, Michael (Bill) and Debra Sue (Debbie) Anson, David and Katherine Norman, and Blake Anson and Mary Jenny; his first daughter-in-law, Jamie Norman; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Per his wishes, and as a last testament to his pragmatic nature, Brooke will be cremated without additional ceremonies.

In lieu of flowers and condolences, please consider making a donation to the Nature Conservancy (https://support.nature.org/), Wisconsin Public Radio (https://give.wpr.org/), or your local public library.

Last, but not least, his family would like to thank the staff at the Independent Living and Skilled Nursing Facility of the New Glarus Home and Agrace Hospice for all their help and support.