Wilma Elaine Brown

MASON CITY: Wilma Elaine Brown, 79, of Mason City, died Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, December 29, 2008, at the First United Methodist Church, 119 S. Georgia, with Rev. Jo Frahm Watkins officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00 PM 6:00 PM on Sunday, December 28, 2008 at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society.

Elaine was born June 15, 1929 in Mediapolis, Iowa, the daughter of Carl Lyndahl and Wilma Jane (Lane) Adolphson. She graduated as Valedictorian from Sperry High School in 1947 and went on to receive her teachers certificate from Parsons College in Fairfield, IA. She later began advanced studies at Iowa State Teachers College (now UNI) in Cedar Falls, IA. Her love for children led her to teacher country school in Sperry, IA, as well as Kindergarten at Roosevelt in Mason City. On June 19, 1960, she married James Simon Brown at the First United Methodist Church. For many years, she helped James on the farm before becoming the farm manager after his death in 1975. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church, PHI BETA KAPPA Society, The Pleasant Ridge Womens Club, and the Extension Board of Supervisors. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, traveling, crafts, and spending time with her family and friends.


She is survived by her children: Timothy James Brown of Mason City, Tom Brown and wife Joy of Mason City, Janine K Brown and husband Peter A. Weinbach of Fairfield, CT; 7 grandchildren: Eli Humphrey-Brown, Christopher Brown, James Jamie S. Brown II, Daniel Brown, Kayla Brown, Maxwell Weinbach, and William Weinbach; 5 sisters: Frances Lucas of Phoenix, AZ, Juanita Derby of Burlington, IA, Kay Wirt of Mediapolis, IA, Jan Hester of Burlington, IA and Alice Gibson of Middletown, IA.

She was preceded in death by her husband James, her parents, and a step-father: Avery Dwight Adolphson.