Laura Jean Pulscher

Laura Jean Brosius Pulscher, 45, of Dell Rapids, South Dakota passed away on Thursday, July 10, 2025 at the Avera Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls after a 9-year spirited and determined fight with ALS, surrounded by her family and friends. Her funeral service will start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at River Community Church, Dell Rapids. Interment will be in the West Baptist Cemetery, rural Colman. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 18, 2025 at Kahler-Brende Funeral Home in Dell Rapids.

Laura Jean was born on July 12, 1979 in Frederick, Maryland, the daughter of John “Jay” W Brosius III and Sharon (Rice) Brosius. She attended Frederick Christian Academy into the 11th grade, then moved to Australia to attend Barker College near Sydney for 2 years, graduating there with her High School Certificate in 1998. She attended Baylor University in Waco, TX for three semesters before transferring to Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, where she earned a degree in computer science in 2003. She worked 4 summers as a horse wrangler at Wheaton College’s HoneyRock Camp, followed by a year there as Head Wrangler. In 2006 she accompanied her father on a 6-months sailing voyage from the Chesapeake Bay to the Caribbean and on to Panama before settling in Sioux Falls South Dakota later that year.

Laura Jean met her future husband, Toby Pulscher, her sister-in-law Anna’s brother, in November of 1999. The couple married on July 12, 2009 and lived together on an acreage near Colton, SD. Laura Jean worked tech support for the Argus Leader until the birth of their first child, Malcolm, in 2011. Oliver was born to them in 2013, followed by their daughter Mercedes in 2015. The family moved to Dell Rapids in 2016 just after her ALS diagnosis.

Laura was both creative and athletic. She played the guitar, bass guitar, hammer dulcimer and flute. Throughout her life she composed poetry and songs, publishing several CD albums of her songs. In Australia she competed in swimming and track at Barker College and underwent field training as a member of the Australian Army Cadets. She was instrumental in founding the swing dance club at Baylor University. In her final college year Laura Jean was chief editor of the Wheaton College yearbook for 2003. Thereafter at HoneyRock she schooled youth in horsemanship and competed in horse barrel racing and horseback gymnastics.

After settling in Sioux Falls Laura Jean regularly entertained with old popular song classics at the Latitude 44 lounge, competed in local songfests, and was part of the music ministry

at Central Baptist Church. Upon joining River Community Church in Dell Rapids she undertook responsibility for the music ministry and music training there until her failing health no longer permitted it.

Those who knew Laura Jean knew that her life was first and foremost founded upon her commitment to God, His salvation through His Son, His scripture, and His calling for her. This informed her commitment to her marriage, her family, and her activities — and her drive to make the best of any circumstance. Apologetics interested her, and she was known for asking probing biblical questions. Later, no longer able to talk or move, with her eyes as her only resource she nevertheless organized and managed her children’s home schooling, organized an overseas trip for the family and numerous parties for friends, wrote and self-published a book about her growth in faith over her life, maintained an extensive online presence, and reached out to encourage many others in their struggles.

Laura Jean’s impact on the lives of those with whom she came into contact was extraordinary.

Laura Jean is preceded in death by her grandparents, John W. Brosius Jr. and Merle Avis Archer and Lucien E and G. Jean Rice.

She is survived by her husband, Toby of Dell Rapids; her children, Malcolm Caleb, Oliver Ronin and Mercedes Cleo all of Dell Rapids; her parents, Jay and Sharon Brosius of Dell Rapids; her brother Will (Anna) Brosius IV of Gypsum, CO and her nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, extended family and many friends.

The service will be live streamed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFj6_gJgERM

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