Our mom, Carol Ann Brown, passed peacefully into heaven on the morning of Holy Saturday, 2024 from Parkinson’s disease.
She was born in Pittsburgh, PA and grew up in the country in a small area called Indian Pines. At age 10, she moved to southern California. It was at this time that she started drawing and painting, as well as other various crafts. She graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School in Los Angeles, California and attended stenography classes and welding classes at Pasadena City College, where she started metal sculpting. She worked as a production assistant in the motion picture film industry and a film inspector at American Film Labs.
In 1972 she moved to Alaska to get out of the city. She worked in a local cannery, filleting and smoking salmon. She met Charles D. Brown, and they married in 1975. In 1978, their first child and only daughter was born. They moved to Butte, MT in 1979, which is where Charles was born and raised. In 1980, she won best of show at an art show in Butte and the Art Chateau purchased her winning charcoal drawing, “Takin’ 5”, for their permanent collection. In 1982 and 1984, their two sons were born.
Throughout the years, Mom made many beautiful pieces of art. She did watercolor paintings, oil paintings, pencil/charcoal drawings, metal sculptures, stained glass art, embroidery, as well as sewing and leatherwork. She worked in home health care and took care of elderly people and children with special needs. She managed her own window cleaning business, but her passion belonged to horses, and she spent many years horseback riding and hunting deep in the mountains. Most of these years were spent with her amazing horse, Tonka. She had a very special way with animals.
It is fair to say that Mom lived life to the fullest. She enjoyed gardening, dancing, cooking and baking, photography, interior decorating, and she had an eye for finding antiques. She was a devout Catholic and prayed every day. We will miss you Mom, but we would say good-bye one hundred times over, as long as you are at peace.
Carol was preceded in death by many relatives including her grandmother Eva Lioon Korey, and her parents Mae & Duane Libert. She is survived by her children: Lana Brown, Lyell (Buffie) Brown, Leon & Kara Brown, and the apple of her eye and only grand-daughter Josie Mae Brown. She is also survived by special long-time friends Edianne Erickson, Willene Noctor, Jennifer Baggenstos, Jon and Vicky Dean, and Janice Thomas.
In lieu of cards and flowers, we ask for donations in Carol’s name to the Parkinson’s Foundation. It is a horrible disease and we watched it take our beautiful mother from us. We will be having services for her this summer. Arrangements will by announced when finalized.
Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Carol.
Cecile Folkes says
I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing your Mom too well, but I am sure she was a special person. Your mother will be greatly missed; may you be comforted by your many memories of her and with her.
Jennifer Baggenstos says
My sincere condolences to you : Lana, Lyell and Leon. Your mother was a very beautiful and caring person . She often reminisced of the happy moments of being a mother to the three of you.
One of her greatest joys was finally becoming a grandmother. She loved you all so deeply.
May her soul rest in God’s Peace.
Barbara Nickliss says
So sorry for your loss Lana, Lyle and Leon. You’re in my prayers. 🙏❤️. God is with you during this difficult time. Let him help you.
Mia Korey says
My sincere condonlences and love to you, Lana, Lyell and Leon. Carol was my first cousin and I loved her very much. I was the flower girl in her wedding. One of my favorite memories was when I was a teenager and we were 4 wheeling in Tahoe in the snow. I had to pee but there were no bathrooms anywhere for miles. I was getting upset, then Carol took my hand and said”Cmon, cousin, I will show you what to do!” I felt so much better and enjoyed the rest of our day. I always admired Carol’s sense of how to get along in nature and how she would hunt on horseback by herself on her property. My cousin was surely one of a kind and I loved her.
Ray Mcmillan says
What a great write up on carol. You expressed your love and memories of her on who she was. Carol was like a second mom to our son Brent hanging out with Leon as children exploring the woods behind her house. What a great life lived.
Stromseth family (Fred,Carol & Corey) says
Sending our sincere condolences and prayers for your family ! Carol was a wonderful person and friend, she will be missed. Very nice write up of her life and adventures!!
Mary Larkin says
Such a life well lived! And a wonderful write up of Carols life. A memory that sticks in my mind of Carol was we were going to hear a new band in town one evening but Carol called and said we would be late she discovered a leak in her barn roof and I would come out and wait while she fixed it. Well, when I drove up to her house, there was Carol dangling clear up on top of her barn roof by a rope, fixing her barn roof! I dont think there was anything Carol could not do. She did love her home and kids and talked about them, where they were, and what they were doing. We had a lot of good times