Brown, Elizabeth (1929-2016)

BROWN, VAN GELDER, KROEZE, SWETS, ZWAGERMAN, VANDER WEERD, HOFFMAN

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 2/6/2016 at 13:16:32

Elizabeth Brown
August 23, 1929 - January 8, 2016

Elizabeth Brown, a daughter of Dick and Nellie (Kroeze) Van Gelder, was born on August 23, 1929, in Orange City, Iowa. Growing up, she enjoyed her childhood living with her parents and five siblings. After graduating from high school at age 16, she continued her education at Northwestern College in Orange City where she sang in the choir and earned a teaching degree. Later, she completed a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake.

Upon graduating from Northwestern, Betty began teaching elementary school at age 18 in Albert City where she taught for over forty years. On January 20, 1953, she married the love of her life, Gene Brown. Shortly after their wedding, Betty taught briefly in Georgia while Gene was stationed there in the Army. They, then, returned to Albert City to raise their family. Betty primarily taught second grade while Gene ran the family business, Brown Oil and Supply Co.

Currently a member of Hope Reformed Church in Spencer, Betty was a longtime member of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Albert City where she played an active role in many areas. She, especially, enjoyed singing in the choir. A devoted wife and mother, she adored her grandchildren. Moreover, she had a passion for children and teaching, and she was loved by the hundreds of children she had taught. She and Gene enjoyed spending weekends at their lake place on East Okoboji. In her spare time, she loved to dance, crochet, and take walks.

Elizabeth passed away at the Spencer Hospital on Friday, January 8, 2016, at the age of 86. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gene, in 1989; one brother, Reynold Van Gelder; and three sisters: Marjorie Swets, Etta Zwagerman, and Anna Vander Weerd.

Those left to cherish her memory include her son, Darrick (Rick), and his wife, Karmen Brown, of Spencer; her daughter, Gretchen Hoffman, and her husband, Doug, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; four grandchildren: Dirk and Heather Brown and Derek and Paige Hoffman; her brother, Gerben Van Gelder, and his wife, Jan, of Corpus Christi, Texas; and her sister-in-law, Eleanor Van Gelder, of Alton, Iowa; as well as many other relatives and friends.

Funeral services for Elizabeth Brown will be held Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. at the Hope Reformed Church in Spencer. Burial will follow at the Fairfield Township Cemetery in Albert City on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 1:30 p.m., following a lunch at the church.

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