Steve Brittner, 93, Minot, formerly of Bowman, died Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in his home.

Steve Brittner was born Oct. 31, 1915, near Richardton, to Stephan and Mary Brittner. As a child, he lived near Richardton and Taylor with his parents and several brothers and sisters. Later, most of the family moved to a ranch in the Badlands north of Marmarth. Steve went to live with his older sister and brother-in-law in the Mineral Springs area of North Dakota.

Steve was 14 years old when he graduated from the eighth grade at Mineral Springs School. He loved horses and any kind of work that could be done with horses, so he was soon earning a living working on cattle ranches and herding sheep. During the 1930s he worked for various ranchers who took him in as a member of their families. He was working for a family south of Bowman when he met Grace Oberfoell, the pretty, young teacher at Lone Tree School, in the fall of 1940. They enjoyed going to dances and visiting with neighbors until their courtship was interrupted by World War II.

Steve entered the Army Air Corps in April 1942. He was soon sent overseas to France with the 31st Photo Reconnaissance Squadron of the Army Air Corps. General Patton personally chose this squadron for his own and squadron members were awarded medals for their excellent work.

While Steve was on furlough from the Army, he and Grace were married on May 8, 1943. After the war, they moved to a farm north of Bowman and later to Buffalo Springs, where they raised their three daughters. During this time, Steve worked as a rural mail carrier from Buffalo Springs and from Bowman. For 30 years, from 1947 to 1977, farm and ranch families along his long route depended on him to deliver their mail in any kind of weather. They were his neighbors and friends, who would never let him down, so he always did his best for them.

Steve enjoyed nature, animals, birds, gardening and reading. Most of all, he loved raising his three daughters. He passed on his love for horses to his daughters and enjoyed raising and training horses for them to ride. He also had fun entertaining his family with his favorite old cowboy songs and stories.

One of his favorites was the song about the Strawberry Roan that no one could ride. He had his own story about a horse like that. As a young man, one of the families he worked for had a strawberry roan horse with a reputation for being an "outlaw." The owner and several other riders couldn't make him behave. They didn't think he was worth keeping because they couldn't use him for work. Then Steve tried him out. He was always careful not to break a horse's spirit, so when he found out he was able to stay on the horse, he just let him go on bucking until he got it out of his system. Then that Strawberry Roan was ready to cooperate and put in a good day's work.

In later years, Steve and Grace moved to Minot to be near their daughter, Linda, and her son, Jesse. Steve and Grace's daughter, Dorothy, and her daughter, Holly, came from Oregon to visit many times. He was a wonderful Grandpa, and a wonderful Dad.

Steve is survived by: his wife, Grace Brittner, of Minot; his daughters, Dorothy Brittner of McMinnville, Ore., and Linda Watson of Minot; his grandson, Jesse Watson of Minot; his granddaughter, Holly Roecker (husband, Ray) of McMinnville; three great-grandchildren, Nathan, Caleb, and Kaylin Roecker; and many wonderful friends and relatives.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Susie; and his brothers and sisters.

Funeral service: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, at 11 a.m. in Vincent United Methodist Church, Minot.

Interment: Friday, Oct. 16, at 11 a.m. in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Visitation: Today, Oct. 14, from 2 to 7 p.m. in Thomas Family Funeral Home, Minot.

Memorials: Memorials are preferred to an organization of the donor's choice.

Those wanting to sign the online memorial register or share memories and condolences are invited to use the expressions of sympathy section at (www.thomasfamilyfuneralhome.com).