Bethany Professor of Education Dr. Polly Browne was called to her home in Heaven on Monday, December 28 after a several-year battle with cancer. Browne became a child of God through her baptism at Holy Cross Lutheran Church (ELS) in Madison, Wisconsin, where she was also confirmed in her faith.

Browne was instrumental in helping to establish the Education Department at Bethany, where she also taught courses in classroom management, fine arts, health and PE, linguistics, literacy, mathematics, and social studies for over a decade. She also supervised student teachers.

Prior to her years at Bethany, Browne taught various combinations of grades 3-8 for twelve years at Bethany Lutheran Elementary School in Port Orchard, Washington, and she also taught grades 6-8 for six years at King of Grace Lutheran School in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

In a message announcing Browne’s passing to the campus and her colleagues, Bethany Chaplain Donald Moldstad said, “We are happy that her suffering is now over, and ‘precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.’”

Browne’s memorial service will take place at Peace Lutheran Church in North Mankato, Minnesota on Saturday, January 2, 2021, at 11:00 a.m., with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. Private interment will be held at Roselawn Memorial Park in Monona, WI, at a future date. A complete obituary can be found here.

The memorial service will be livestreamed and can be viewed at www.peacemankato.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Peace Lutheran Church (2090 Commerce Drive North Mankato, MN 56003), Bethany Lutheran College (www.carolinainternationalschool.org/donate), or the Andreas Cancer Center (Mayo Clinic Health System, ATTN: Andreas Cancer Center, 1025 Marsh Street, Mankato MN 56001).