Marilyn Mae Brown
May 5, 1929 - December 5, 2023
Obituary
Marilyn Mae (Clark) Brown was born in Lima, Ohio, on May 5, 1929. She was the second of three sisters. Highlights of Marilyn’s childhood included visits to her grandparents’ farm, learning to play the flute, the clarinet, the cello, and the piano, and becoming the Lima City Champion in jacks. After graduating from Lima High School, Marilyn attended Bluffton College for two years, then earned her Bachelor of Arts in Education from Ohio Wesleyan University. While in college, she went on a blind date to an Ohio State vs. University of Michigan game with a Michigan engineering student named Allan Brown. Despite the Ohio-Michigan rivalry, the couple fell in love and were married on August 9, 1953.
Allan and Marilyn moved to Seattle so that Allan could pursue a career with Boeing, and where Marilyn would continue her career as a second-grade teacher at Brighton Elementary School. Marilyn and Allan were very active members of the First United Methodist Church, the PTA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League, and softball, assuming leadership roles in each organization as they supported their four children’s educational and spiritual growth. Marilyn blessed her family with her great cooking and baking skills. She also shared with her children her love of sewing, knitting, cross-stitching, reading, and puzzling.
The family enjoyed spending summers at their lakefront cabin, where Marilyn and Allan enjoyed many early mornings and peaceful evenings fishing together. Once the kids were grown, Marilyn worked as the Registrar at Evergreen High School. When she and Allan retired, they learned to square dance and bought a fifth wheel trailer, which they used to explore the Pacific Coast, Canada, and Alaska, fishing along the way. After Allan, her husband of 50 years, passed away, Marilyn became an active member of the Wesley Gardens Retirement community, where she lived independently in a cottage for 20 years until her passing.
Marilyn is survived by her four children: Craig Brown (Denise), Golden, CO; Kimberly Brown-Dreiblatt (David), Bellevue, WA; Carl Brown (Laura), Portland, OR; and Tamara Anderson (Eric), Ashland, OR, as well as eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
While living at Wesley, Marilyn loved working puzzles, playing games, reading, and watching the Seattle Mariners, but most of all, she loved being with her family, hearing the laughter, and seeing the love they shared. Her family and friends fondly remember her generosity, resolute spirit, and beautiful, infectious smile.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Marilyn be made to the Wesley Homes Foundation “Circle of Concern” or The Des Moines Area Food Bank/Essentials Bank.
