William
William Brown
William J. “Bill” Brown of Allegan (formerly of Kalamazoo) died peacefully Monday, July 30, 2012, in Kalamazoo, surrounded by family. Mr. Brown was born December 26, 1922 to Howard and Louise (Noteboom) Brown and was a lifelong resident of the area.
Bill, who was married to Gladys Ball for 64 years, was a farmer, operating his own farm, and also ran Brown’s Farm Equipment with Gladys from the late 50s to early 70s. In his leisure time he enjoyed golfing, fishing, hunting trips out west, bowling and dancing, especially to polkas. He also enjoyed his dog, Sparky. His family was very important to him and he most enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was a generous man.
Preceding him in death were his wife, Gladys in 2010; a son, Don Brown; a granddaughter, Michelle Brown; two grandsons, Scott Brown and Doug Brown; a brother and a sister, Howard Brown and Mildred McGuire. Surviving are two sons and two daughters, Gary (Deidre) Brown of Kalamazoo, Dolores ‘Laurie’ (Robert) Augustine of Otsego, Beverly ‘Bev’ (Ken) Jacobs of Parchment and Carl Brown of South Carolina; 11 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren; a brother, Harry Brown of Hopkins; and a sister, Eleanor Priest, of Hopkins; several nieces and nephews.
Friends may meet with his family from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. Wednesday at the
Winkel Funeral Home, Otsego
. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday at St. Margaret Catholic Church, Otsego, Fr. Gordon Greene celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Margaret Cemetery.
Contributions in memory of Bill may be made to the
Alzheimer’s Association
.
Messages of condolence for his family may be posted at
www.WinkelFuneralHome.com
Offer Condolence for the family of William Brown
Condolence Messages
Pat and Russ Miner
July 30, 2012 at 5:55 pm
I knew it was coming at some point, but I was not ready for this news. I will always remember the good things about Uncle Bill. How he loved to tease and enjoyed company. We always were made to feel welcome when ever we dropped in. I’m happy he is with your Mom now, it has not been right since he lost her. I remember how grateful he was when we were able to sell the farm – when the mortgage company just wanted him to sign off. He often said we showed them. He got a kick out of my standing toe to toe with these high priced company men. He always thought of me as his first little niece and never let me forget it. I loved him a log and I know you have missed him during his illness. Its a terrible disease and robs us of precious time we could have with our loved ones.
Reply
VanDenBerg Families
July 31, 2012 at 12:40 am
Sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
Reply
Ronald & Betty (VanDenBerg) Hotchkiss
July 31, 2012 at 12:43 am
Sending condolences to the family.
Reply
June and Roger Kennedy
July 31, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I always remember Bill with a smile on his face, he was always glad to see us. We have know Bill and Gladys for years, even when they had their store. I remember when Gladys car went into Rupert Lake with a child in it, Arline Kennedy jumped into the lake and grabbed the child and brought her to shore. Good people and I am sorry for your loss.
June and Roger Kennedy
Reply
Msry Ellen Riggs
July 31, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Bob, So sorry to hear about your fathers passing. I will be praying for you.
Mary Ellen Riggs
Rock-Tenn
Reply
The Kelsey Family
August 1, 2012 at 11:34 am
The Kelsey family wishes to extend their sincere condolences to the family of our old friend and neighbor, Bill. We have many fond memories of attending Oak Shade school together and farming nearby. Bob remembers that Bill didn’t like to square dance much so he would dance with Gladys some times. Sorry none of us will be able to attend the services. We’ll be there in spirit.
Sincerely,
Bob Kelsey
Mary (Kelsey) Walker
Anne (Kelsey) Johnson
Grace (Kelsey) Scarberry
Reply
Rob Johnson
August 1, 2012 at 9:32 pm
I feel blessed to have known Bill, I met him some time in the late 1980s and still dont know any like him, Im sure there arent many left. For me he is the founder of a great group of family, from Bill and Gladys to their kids down to the grand kids. Great memories of throwing bales on the wagon, hunting and visiting at the lake, we still have an old tractor tire he gave for my kids sand box. First time I met him he insisted I sit down and eat pork chops at the kitchen table, Im glade I did.
Reply
Larry and Charyl Wallace
August 14, 2012 at 12:07 am
Gary and DeeDee, We are so sorry about the passing of your father. We both remember Bill (Charyl from Allegan) and know the loss this will be, You have our prayers and sympathy. God Bless
Larry and Charyl Wallace
Reply
Leave a Condolence
Cancel reply
Please share your message of condolence with the family, It will be visible to the public but your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked
*
Comment
*
Name
*
Email
*
Δ
Obituary Notification Service
Enter your email address if you would like to be notified when a new obituary notice is posted:
Search Obituaries
How do I send a condolence
At the bottom of this page, you will find a condolence form. You will need to fill out some basic information prior to typing your message. (We will not share your e-mail address with anyone) Once you are finished, simply click the submit condolence button. The condolence will be approved before it is published to the web site.
Share This Obituary
Your Name
*
Your Email
*
Their Name
*
Their Email
*
Message
CAPTCHA
Email
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Δ
Bill, who was married to Gladys Ball for 64 years, was a farmer, operating his own farm, and also ran Brown’s Farm Equipment with Gladys from the late 50s to early 70s. In his leisure time he enjoyed golfing, fishing, hunting trips out west, bowling and dancing, especially to polkas. He also enjoyed his dog, Sparky. His family was very important to him and he most enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. He was a generous man.
Preceding him in death were his wife, Gladys in 2010; a son, Don Brown; a granddaughter, Michelle Brown; two grandsons, Scott Brown and Doug Brown; a brother and a sister, Howard Brown and Mildred McGuire. Surviving are two sons and two daughters, Gary (Deidre) Brown of Kalamazoo, Dolores ‘Laurie’ (Robert) Augustine of Otsego, Beverly ‘Bev’ (Ken) Jacobs of Parchment and Carl Brown of South Carolina; 11 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren; a brother, Harry Brown of Hopkins; and a sister, Eleanor Priest, of Hopkins; several nieces and nephews.
Friends may meet with his family from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. Wednesday at the
Winkel Funeral Home, Otsego
. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday at St. Margaret Catholic Church, Otsego, Fr. Gordon Greene celebrant. Burial will follow at St. Margaret Cemetery.
Contributions in memory of Bill may be made to the
Alzheimer’s Association
.
Messages of condolence for his family may be posted at
www.WinkelFuneralHome.com
Offer Condolence for the family of William Brown
Condolence Messages
Pat and Russ Miner
July 30, 2012 at 5:55 pm
I knew it was coming at some point, but I was not ready for this news. I will always remember the good things about Uncle Bill. How he loved to tease and enjoyed company. We always were made to feel welcome when ever we dropped in. I’m happy he is with your Mom now, it has not been right since he lost her. I remember how grateful he was when we were able to sell the farm – when the mortgage company just wanted him to sign off. He often said we showed them. He got a kick out of my standing toe to toe with these high priced company men. He always thought of me as his first little niece and never let me forget it. I loved him a log and I know you have missed him during his illness. Its a terrible disease and robs us of precious time we could have with our loved ones.
Reply
VanDenBerg Families
July 31, 2012 at 12:40 am
Sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. Keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
Reply
Ronald & Betty (VanDenBerg) Hotchkiss
July 31, 2012 at 12:43 am
Sending condolences to the family.
Reply
June and Roger Kennedy
July 31, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I always remember Bill with a smile on his face, he was always glad to see us. We have know Bill and Gladys for years, even when they had their store. I remember when Gladys car went into Rupert Lake with a child in it, Arline Kennedy jumped into the lake and grabbed the child and brought her to shore. Good people and I am sorry for your loss.
June and Roger Kennedy
Reply
Msry Ellen Riggs
July 31, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Bob, So sorry to hear about your fathers passing. I will be praying for you.
Mary Ellen Riggs
Rock-Tenn
Reply
The Kelsey Family
August 1, 2012 at 11:34 am
The Kelsey family wishes to extend their sincere condolences to the family of our old friend and neighbor, Bill. We have many fond memories of attending Oak Shade school together and farming nearby. Bob remembers that Bill didn’t like to square dance much so he would dance with Gladys some times. Sorry none of us will be able to attend the services. We’ll be there in spirit.
Sincerely,
Bob Kelsey
Mary (Kelsey) Walker
Anne (Kelsey) Johnson
Grace (Kelsey) Scarberry
Reply
Rob Johnson
August 1, 2012 at 9:32 pm
I feel blessed to have known Bill, I met him some time in the late 1980s and still dont know any like him, Im sure there arent many left. For me he is the founder of a great group of family, from Bill and Gladys to their kids down to the grand kids. Great memories of throwing bales on the wagon, hunting and visiting at the lake, we still have an old tractor tire he gave for my kids sand box. First time I met him he insisted I sit down and eat pork chops at the kitchen table, Im glade I did.
Reply
Larry and Charyl Wallace
August 14, 2012 at 12:07 am
Gary and DeeDee, We are so sorry about the passing of your father. We both remember Bill (Charyl from Allegan) and know the loss this will be, You have our prayers and sympathy. God Bless
Larry and Charyl Wallace
Reply
Leave a Condolence
Cancel reply
Please share your message of condolence with the family, It will be visible to the public but your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked
*
Comment
*
Name
*
*
Δ
Obituary Notification Service
Enter your email address if you would like to be notified when a new obituary notice is posted:
Search Obituaries
How do I send a condolence
At the bottom of this page, you will find a condolence form. You will need to fill out some basic information prior to typing your message. (We will not share your e-mail address with anyone) Once you are finished, simply click the submit condolence button. The condolence will be approved before it is published to the web site.
Share This Obituary
Your Name
*
Your Email
*
Their Name
*
Their Email
*
Message
CAPTCHA
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Δ
Guestbook
Visits: 3
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors