Mass of Christian burial for Helen Brown was held Feb. 28 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Emmetsburg. The Rev. Bill Schreiber was the officiant. Inurnment was at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Emmetsburg.
Helen T. Brown was born on July 6, 1928 in rural Palo Alto county to Eugene and Mary (Higgins) Kane, the third oldest of four children. Helen received her education at St. Mary’s Academy in Emmetsburg, graduating in 1946.
Helen met her husband (John) Jay Brown at a skating rink in Emmetsburg. Jay was born and raised in the Ayrshire area. They were married on Aug. 9, 1948 at Assumption Church in Emmetsburg. They were blessed with three children, John Joseph (Joe) in August 1949, William (Bill) in April 1953, and Katherine (Kay) in Sept. 1954.
Helen worked at a number of jobs, including secretary to attorney Bob Culver, bookkeeper for Shakeley’s Department Store, secretary for the Emmetsburg Chamber of Commerce for many years and eventually as a billing clerk with General Telephone Company, which later merged with the company now known as Verizon.
Helen’s position at the Chamber of Commerce, during a period when Emmetsburg had many locally owned small businesses, was an interesting and fulfilling job. During this period, the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations grew exponentially and Helen enjoyed having the opportunity to host dignitaries from Ireland and meet some of the talented artists who performed, including Dolly Parton and Porter Waggoner.
Helen and Jay were very social people and loved to entertain in their home. Helen enjoyed playing cards and reading. She cherished every opportunity she had to spend with her family, especially her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Helen was very proud of her Irish heritage on both the Higgins and the Kane sides of the family and later in her life had the joy of visiting the country her ancestors came from, the Republic of Ireland.
During a General Telephone downsizing initiative in the early 1980s, Helen was offered an opportunity to work in the Grinnell office. After three years working in Grinnell, Helen was able to retire from General Telephone and return to Emmetsburg.
Jay’s health dramatically worsened in 1997 and he passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 30, 1997 at the age of 70. After Jay’s death, Helen moved to Iowa City to be closer to Joe and his family. As an Iowa City resident, Helen became a more engaged Hawkeye fan. In 2008 Helen had the joy of celebrating her 80th birthday in Coralville, which her children and grandchildren hosted.
When Helen’s health began deteriorating she moved back to Emmetsburg and became a resident of Lakeside Lutheran Home. Helen passed away Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 at Lakeside at the age of 94. She was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene and Mary Kane; her husband, Jay; her daughter, Kay; daughter-in-law, Ellen; and siblings, Marigene Keane, Jerry Kane and Jack Kane.
She is survived by her sons, Joe Brown of Iowa City and Bill Brown of Houston, Texas; grandchildren and great grandchildren: Lisa (Ray) Thomas-Sanchez and their children, Kerry (Michael) and Evan; Molly (Brian) Miller and their children, Olivia, Laila, Brilie, Easton and Elijah; Sarah (Mike) Raecker and their children, Jacob, Zachary and Norah; Katy (Kyle) Knipper and their children, Ellie, William and Caroline; Hilary (Bryan) Jensen and their children, Parker, Audrey and Mabel; as well as many other relatives and friends.
Arrangements made by Martin-Mattice Funeral Home.
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