- Date Of Birth: January 5, 1988
- Date Of Death: January 15, 2010
- State: Iowa
Brandon E. Rau
Brandon Earl Rau was born January 5, 1988 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and passed away January 15, 2010 in Des Moines, Iowa. He is the son of
Rhonda (Werts) Rau and Geoff Rau, and sister of Karrah Rau all of Des Moines, Iowa.
Brandon’s family moved to the Russell area in 1993.
He attended all of his schooling at the Russell Community School and was a loyal Trojan.
While growing up, he was involved in baseball, basketball, and football.
His favorite sport was football and he loved to work for his coach Rick Elmore and Randy Miller.
Whatever Rick asked Brandon to do he would consider it a done deal. Brandon was a big boy and could drag other football players over the field even when they were hanging onto his legs. Brandon was affectionately known as “Chop” by his friends and family and he kept this nickname throughout his life.
Brandon touched the life of every person he ever met. If you personally knew him then he considered you either a dear friend or family. There was no in between or casual acquaintances. Growing up as Brandon’s sister, it’s hard to believe that he finished his journey on earth with more family than I currently have. There are numerous families and individuals that consider him either a brother or a son, even if not by blood. Brandon’s girlfriend, Katie, described him as appearing like a big angry bear, but anyone who walked up and took a closer look immediately saw that he was really just a big fluffy teddy bear. He had the biggest heart of any person I’ve known. Brandon never considered appearances or status as a redeeming quality in a friend. He had an amazing gift of looking at everyone as if they were wearing their insides on their outside. He could see the good in someone immediately if it was there and they instantly became part of his life.
He is preceded in death by his great grandparents, Ralph and Alice Werts; his great aunt, Mary Lee Werts; his great grandfather, Homer Chapman; and his grandpa, Burton Werts.
Brandon is survived by his girlfriend, Katie Caudill; his mother, Rhonda Rau and his father, Geoff Rau; his sister, Karrah (Jeff) Link; his twin nephews, Aiden and Logan Link; his great grandmother, Daisy Chapman; his grandmother, Karen Werts; his uncle, Bruce (Jamie) Werts, and Cameron, Colby, and Caleb Werts; and a host of family and friends.
Honorary bearers were Rick Elmore, Ryan Pennington, Zach Holmes, Jacob Burger, Matt Bedford, and James Williams.
