Retired Dutton ranchwife Jane Crystal (Clemenson) DeBruycker, 87, a tireless advocate for the elderly and children, died of natural causes on May 29, 2024, at Benefis in Great Falls. Jane was born on Oct. 24, 1936, to Carl John and Clara Florence Clemenson in Gonvick, Minnesota. When she was in her early teens, she moved with her family to Dutton, enrolling at Dutton High School as a sophomore. Her father worked as a carpenter and her mother ran a restaurant, where Jane worked tables.
At a Dutton High School ball game, Jane met a young farmer, Lloyd DeBruycker, a 1950 graduate of DHS, who took at shine to her. They dated for the rest of high school and after she graduated, were married on July 2, 1954, in the Dutton Lutheran Church, starting a grand partnership that would span 67 years of marriage, seven children and the building of a nationally and internationally respected Charolais cattle operation.
The young couple lived in a small home in Dutton until they were able to purchase a 600-acre farm, the start of their ag operation. They moved into a big house on the farm in July of 1963, and began raising grain, pigs, cattle and kids. In that house, she loved looking out the windows, seeing the Rocky Mountains to the west, and the prairie to the east.
Jane and Lloyd entered the Charolais cattle industry in 1958 with their purchase of a Charolais bull that started their career-long commitment to the industry, and held their first DeBruycker Charolais bull sale in 1985. In 2003, Jane and Lloyd were inducted into the American International Charolais Association Hall of Fame in recognition of their influence on the Charolais cattle breed and their contributions to the beef cattle industry.
Her commitment to agriculture showed through her years of work on the farm and ranch as well as her membership in the Dutton chapter of Montana W.I.F.E. and in the Teton CattleWomen. She also served as secretary of the board of the Montana Charolais Association.
Like many farm wives, Jane cooked for a crew and every fall would serve harvest dinner in the field out of the back of her Lincoln Town Car. Lincolns were her favorite ride and she was known for having a “lead foot” in her Lincolns. She was a 4-H organizational leader for years, not only chaperoning and ferrying 4-H members to events, but serving as a judge for exhibits during the 4-H fair and supporting 4-H youth financially by purchasing market animals during the 4-H sale.
She grieved when Lloyd died in 2021, but carried on, continuing to live independently at home, to attend children and grandchildren’s events and to celebrate new great-grandchildren. (She had two on the way at the time of her death).
Jane is survived by her children, Tammy (Chris) Wend of Sparwood, British Columbia, Mark (Belva) DeBruycker of Bynum, Cathy (Joe) Campbell of Choteau, Jacque Jacobsen of Fairfield, Kelly (Bruce) Martin of Conrad, Brett (Kay) DeBruycker of Dutton and Jody Dahl of Roundup; 26 grandchildren; and 27 great-grandchildren.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
