Wanda Brown
Wanda Joyce Brown, 86, passed away unexpectedly on September 26, 2024 in Louisville, KY. She led a life marked by her faith, family, and friends.
Wanda was born in Snyder, TX and grew up in Monahans, TX with her four siblings. She joined her sister, Kitty, in Lancaster, CA when she was 18 years old and began working at Edward’s Air Force Base Flight Test Center where she served many roles including as project monitor for the F-105. This is also where she met and married James G. Brown a few years later while he was working on early computer projects for the Air Force with IBM. They raised their two sons in Santa Barbara, CA.
Wanda was a devoted wife and mother as well as a talented seamstress, avid reader, and gracious hostess. She was involved in church and community Bible studies for years and loved spending time with her family and friends. She actively supported her boys’ activities in school, scouts, and sports. After a day of racing sailboats, her boys always knew a feast was waiting for them when they came home cold, wet, and hungry. When her sons were older, she went back to work in the front office of an OB/GYN, caring for new mothers and making deep friendships lasting her lifetime. She was known by co-workers, friends and family as a sweet servant, always checking in on folks and helping where she could, usually in the background.
Wanda and Jim left the sandy beaches of Santa Barbara for the desert sand of Midland, TX in 1998 to be near their two precious granddaughters, whom they doted on for the rest of their days. She loved them dearly, and they loved her. Her presence in their lives was a tremendous blessing to them. The girls and their friends always knew that Wanda would provide an abundant supply of love and snacks for them anytime they would drop by, just as she had done for her boys and their friends. After her husband’s death Wanda moved to Louisville, KY to be closer to her family where she enjoyed family dinners and activities each week.
Wanda was preceded in death by her husband of almost 60 years, her parents, her siblings and their spouses (Willard and Charlene Gunter, Ray and Louise Gunter, Kitty and Arnold Adams, Betty and Kenneth Alexander). She is survived by her sons Mark Brown of Goleta, CA and David Brown and his wife Susan of Louisville, KY. She is also survived by her beloved granddaughters Julie Minor and her husband Glen of Louisville, KY and Natalie Stam and her husband Henry of Pagosa Springs, CO as well as great grandchildren Benjamin Minor and Abigail Minor. In addition, she is survived by her sister-in-law, Kay Woolhiser of Ft. Collins, CO, and many treasured nephews and nieces. Her family is thankful for her legacy of love and generational faith and will miss her dearly.