John Brostad

John Brostad, 74, a distinguished educator, coach, mentor and pillar of the Storm Lake community, crossed his final finish line peacefully on July 16, 2026. Born in Cherokee on Sept. 14, 1951, and raised in Linn Grove, John dedicated his life to his family, students and athletes.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m. at United Methodist Church in Storm Lake. Burial will be in Barnes Township Cemetery in Linn Grove. Visitation will take place Friday, July 31, from 5-8 p.m. at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Buena Vista Regional Medical Center’s Oncology department, St. Croix Hospice or the Storm Lake Dollars for Scholars organization.

John graduated from Sioux Valley High School in 1969, where he was an all-conference and all-state basketball and baseball player. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and secondary education from Buena Vista University in 1973. John married the love of his life, Roxie Click, on Aug. 9, 1975, and together they were blessed with three sons. He continued his education at the University of South Dakota, earning a master’s degree in school guidance and counseling in 1977.

John spent his entire 51-year education and coaching career at Storm Lake Community School District. He started teaching freshman algebra in 1974 and transitioned shortly thereafter to eighth grade math, where he continued until his semi-retirement in 2010. John then became an instructional assistant and bus driver for the school district until the fall of 2025 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Coach B. spent more than 30 years as the head girls’ track coach and head boys’ and girls’ cross country coach for Storm Lake High School. Additionally, his passion for athletics and mentoring student-athletes led him to coaching decades of junior high and high school basketball, as well as junior varsity and freshman softball and varsity tennis. John even worked part time at Laird’s and Douglass clothing stores downtown while teaching and coaching full time. A highlight of John’s high school boys’ basketball coaching days was taking the 1979 and 1980 teams to the state tournament with head coach, Larry Parman. Coaches Parman and Brostad brought home the 2A state championship in 1980 with their varsity boys’ team.

John took great pride in attending his kids’ and grandkids’ many activities, including dance recitals, basketball, softball, volleyball and football games, cross country and track meets, band and choir concerts, piano recitals, and many other academic and extracurricular events through the years. He loved the mountains and traveled out west whenever he could get away with his family. Yellowstone, Glacier, the Black Hills, Grand Tetons and Banff National Park were a few of his favorite areas to visit.

In retirement, John enjoyed detailing his Corvette and entering it into car shows around the area. However, if rain or thunderstorms were imminent within a 50-mile radius, you could bet on him either keeping it garaged or finding the nearest car wash or gas station to pull it into. John was meticulous with his vehicles like he was with everything else in his life.

Coach Brostad or Mr. B., as he was admirably known to his former athletes and students, was a true math mastermind whose love for his craft encouraged others to also be passionate about math and running. Known for his innovative and sometimes quirky ways to get his students to remember math formulas and processes, many of his former students will recall him standing on his head in the middle of class to demonstrate the “invert and multiply” technique for dividing fractions. The Pythagorean Theorem was a favorite of Mr. Brostad’s, and he joked every year with his eighth grade students that he almost named his twin sons Pythagoras (Thaggie for short) and Archimedes (Archie). John’s love for problem-solving, precision and doing all the fundamental things well carried over into his running and coaching career.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift” is an all-time favorite Steve Prefontaine quote that Coach B. used with his athletes. John always gave his best as a coach and avid runner himself. He ran his first marathon in his late fifties with the “Marathon to Marathon” and did other marathons and half marathons across the Midwest. One of his favorites was always the Crazy Horse Marathon/Half Marathon in early October in Custer and Hill City, S.D. He celebrated his 70th birthday in 2021 and his twin sons’ 40th birthdays the same year by running this half marathon together. A favorite “Guys’ Trip” with his three sons occurred in 2018 when they surprised him for Father’s Day with a trip to Eugene, Ore., for the Prefontaine Classic track meet. Of course, a short drive down the coast to Coos Bay and Steve Prefontaine’s hometown was mandatory on this trip.

John knew how to pace himself, his family, his students and his athletes through the long journey of life. He never focused on wins or losses but rather stressed the importance of character, teamwork, learning from your mistakes and resilience. He participated in nearly every Ride/Run event on the 4th of July dating back to its inception in the late 1970s. John was also a regular participant and volunteer at the Kiwanis sprint tri/duathlon every August. He participated in hundreds of 5K events around the area through the years and even did a 12-hour run in Sioux Rapids back in 2008 to honor a cross country coaching friend who passed away too early from cancer. John was an active member of United Methodist Church in Storm Lake, served on various church committees and assumed the role of Confirmation mentor/sponsor to junior high students who asked this of him.

John was a friend to all and never met anyone he couldn’t talk to for hours. As many of you know, he would tell stories for days if given the chance. He sometimes came off as gruff if you didn’t know him well, but his students always possessed a healthy dose of fear and respect for Mr. Brostad. John had a soft spot for those less fortunate and individuals you might consider underdogs.

John is survived by his wife of nearly 51 years, Roxie; his sons: Jared (Shannon) Brostad of Urbandale; Matt (Katie) Brostad of Storm Lake; and Mike Brostad of Storm Lake; grandchildren: Madeline and Annabel Brostad of Urbandale; Nora, Clare and Emma Brostad of Storm Lake; and Ben and Emily Brostad of Storm Lake; and several nieces, extended family and friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Jean Brostad; parents-in-law, Blaine and Donaline Click; and brother David Brostad.

Although the stopwatch has ended for John here on earth, he is now running free with no pain in his heavenly home with his eternal father. John fought the good fight; he has finished the race. Well done, good and faithful servant.