Obituary: Vern Junior Brown

Vern Junior Brown
(1928-2025)
Vern Junior Brown was born December 16, 1928, at a country farmhouse near Clearfield, Iowa. His parents were Vern Francis Brown and Beatrice Everhart Brown. He was welcomed into the family by two sisters, Bertha and Doris. Three more sisters Evelyn, Janis and Donna were added to the family in the following years.
Vern enjoyed growing up on the farm. He enjoyed all of the family activities and the outside fun with special livestock and pets.
He often spoke about walking to the one room country school with his sisters and telling about many of the happenings there. Vern graduated from Mount Ayr High School with the class of 1948. He married Annabelle Brown (from another Brown family) in 1950.
He continued on the farm until he entered the military service in the U.S. Army with the United States of America in 1952. His time was spent in Germany and on the Russian border repairing army tanks and other equipment and teaching other soldiers to be mechanics on those repair tasks. He attained the rank of corporal.
After returning from military service, he and Annabelle moved to Des Moines where he was employed at John Deere and the Ruan Company for a number of years. He and Annabelle divorced during this time.
Fishing was a sport he always enjoyed however his greatest past time was playing his guitar and singing at various jam sessions throughout the area. He had learned to play his guitar much earlier in life and thoroughly enjoyed playing music with other gifted musicians at various jam sessions in the area and entertaining in the nursing homes and other group events.
He married Jean Cruishank in September of 1973. Together they enjoyed music with Jean at the keyboard and Vern playing guitar.
In November of 2018 he decided to move to the Iowa Veterans Home at Marshalltown, Iowa. He had always been an American Legion member which was a very important part of his life, and he participated in all of the activities there. While at the home he met many new friends including Faye McAleer. They were both attending church service when they met. The two remained very special friends throughout his stay. She is considered as part of the Brown family.
Vern passed away on September 8, 2025. Those surviving include sisters Evelyn Sickels, Jan (Jerry) Sabin, and Donna Sickels, 11 nieces and nephews and dear friend, Faye McAleer and many other relatives and friends.
Those preceding Vern’s passing includes his parents, sisters Bertha and Doris and wife Jean.
A celebration of life was held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr. Burial, with military honors by Ringgold Post #172 and the US Army Honor Guard, followed in Rose Hill Cemetery.  Memorials are to the Mount Ayr American Legion.