Walter A. Brueggemann

Walter Albert Brueggemann was born in Tilden, Nebraska on March 11, 1933. He was the son of August Brueggemann, a pastor of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (an antecedent of the United Church of Christ) and Hilda Hallman Brueggemann. Like his father, he was rooted in the evangelical tradition of German Pietism that continued to be his theological habitat. He grew up in rural parsonages in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. He graduated from Elmhurst College, received his Bachelor of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He later earned a Doctorate in Philosophy from St. Louis University. Walter was elected President of the Society of Biblical Literature in 1990, received a Niebuhr Theological Fellowship, a Henry Luce Theological Fellowship, The Niebuhr Medal from Elmhurst College, received eight honorary doctorates, and was made an admiral in the Nebraska Navy and an Arkansas Traveler. He was ordained, along with his brother Edward, by his father into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the United Church of Christ in 1958. In 1960 he was married to Mary Bonner Miller. They were blessed with two sons, James Bonner and John Frederick. They were divorced in 2005. In 2011 he married Tia Ehrhardt. In 1961 Walter joined the faculty of Eden Theological Seminary, his alma mater, and served until 1986, during which time he served as Academic Dean for fourteen years. He joined the faculty of Columbia Theological Seminary in 1986, where he was the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament until his retirement in 2003. During his years on these theological faculties, he was a generative teacher, an engaged institutional citizen, and a prolific writer. In his scholarship he was an indefatigable interpreter in the service of church renewal and social justice. During his teaching years, Walter relished working with his students, treasured collegial relations with faculty colleagues, and delighted in friendship with countless pastors. Beyond his tireless professional activities of teaching, preaching, and writing – he did love being at his desk! –- Walter was a voracious reader, consuming multiple newspapers every day, being a familiar visitor to local libraries and bookstores wherever he lived, devouring scholarly work, magazines, journals, non-fiction and novels on a vast range of topics. A life-long fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, he admonished his sons early and often: “two things – love Jesus Christ and hate the Cubs”. He savored the arts, including movies, theater, classical music and jazz. Walter adored stories and conversations. He was quick with a joke and seemed to have one for every occasion. Walter died peacefully at Munson Hospice House in Traverse City, Michigan on June 5, 2025 at the age of 92. He is predeceased by his brothers Charles and Edward. He is survived by his cherished wife, Tia Brueggemann, his well-beloved sons, James Brueggemann (Lisa née Simcox) and John Brueggemann (Christina née McHugh), and five grandchildren, Christiana Brueggemann, August Brueggemann, Emilia Brueggemann, Anabelle Brueggemann, and Peter Brueggemann. A memorial service will be held (and publicly live-streamed) on Saturday, July 19 at 2:00 PM at Central Methodist Church in Traverse City, Michigan. There will be a Reception for Walter at NMC Hagerty Center, 715 E. Front Street, Traverse City, from 3:30-5:00 PM following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Eden Theological Seminary, 475 E. Lockwood, St. Louis, MO 63119, or Columbia Theological Seminary, 701 S. Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.

Walter A. Brueggemann

March 11, 1933 - June 5, 2025