Charles “Charlie” T. Brown, 73

Charles “Charlie” T. Brown, 72, of Brandon and formerly of Cleghorn, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 at Dougherty Hospice in Sioux Falls, S.D., after a six-year battle with cancer. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 at Risen Savior Parish in Brandon with Visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m., also at the church. Interment. with Military Honors. will follow at 2 p.m. at South Dakota State Veterans Cemetery in Sioux Falls. Visit www.georgeboom.com for an online guestbook and link to live stream the funeral.

Charlie was born May 18, 1949 at LeMars, Iowa, the son of Glen and Margaret (Ruether) Brown. He was raised in LeMars and received his education from LeMars Community High School, graduating in 1968. He was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam 1969-1970. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He received an AA degree from Sioux Empire College in Hawarden, Iowa.

On Aug. 21, 1971 he married Nancy Nilles at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Remsen, Iowa. The couple made their home in Cleghorn for 46 years before moving to Brandon in 2017. Charlie worked at Wilson Foods-Tyson Foods in Cherokee, Iowa, for 37 ½ years, then became a maintenance mechanic for the USPS Processing Center in Sioux City, Iowa, for five years. 

He was a member of Risen Savior Catholic Church in Brandon. He was a volunteer fireman with the Cleghorn Fire Dept. for 20-plus years, a city councilman in Cleghorn for 10 years, and mayor of Cleghorn for two years. He belonged to the Vietnam Veteran’s in Cherokee, Iowa, and the American Legion Olson Post #486 in Cleghorn. He enjoyed camping, fishing, golfing, watching sports, and spending time with family and friends. One of his greatest joys in life was being a grandpa.

Grateful for sharing his life are his wife, Nancy Brown of Brandon; daughter, Wendy (Mark) Koster of Brandon; son, Todd Brown of Cleghorn; four grandchildren, Collin Law-Reinhart, Sylvia Brown and Sienna Brown, and Andrew Koster; six siblings, Dennis (Angela) Brown of White City, Ore., Gary (Nina) Brown of Kerrville, Texas, Glenn (Diana) Brown of Sioux Falls, Randy (Jane) Brown of Magnolia, Texas, Deb (Rick) Quinn of Rushville, Ill., and Steve Brown of Magnolia, Texas; sister-in-law, Mary Brown of Houston, Texas; and brother-in-law, Jim Eblen of Rushville, Ill.; brothers-in-law, Dan (Sandra) Nilles of LeMars, Gene (Myrna) Nilles of Sioux Falls, Harlan Borchers of LeMars; sisters-in-law, Janet Klein and Clara (Ron) Hunter, both of LeMars, and Mary Jean Nilles of Escondido, Calif., along with a host of many other relatives and friends.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents, Glen and Margaret (Ruether) Brown; brother, Brian Brown; sisters, Judy Sherlock, Dianne Borchers, and Mary Eblen; brothers-in-law, Jerry Sherlock and Doug Borchers, additional in-laws Jim Nilles, Carol and Dick Lang, Bonnie Borchers, Elmer Klein Jr., and Tom Nilles. 

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The Brandon Valley Journal

 

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