Anna Brown

Anna Brown, passed away suddenly on May 2, 2023. Anna was full of life until her last moment on earth. On the day she passed, she attended Bible Study with friends and worked in her garden.  She was cooking dinner for her beloved husband of 59 years, Russell Brown, when she passed.

Anna was born in Winchester, Tennessee on October 31, 1939 to George and Louella Huber.  She loved her hometown and shared many special memories with her extended family there over the years, including her older sister, Mary Lena Price (Carl) of Lebanon, TN.

Mom and “Mom Mom” were Anna’s most coveted “titles.” She was adored by her 5 children, 12 grandkids, and 8 grand-dogs.  She is survived by her children: Cari (Mike) Christiansen of Santee, CA; Georganna (Mark) Montgomery of Olathe, KS; Grant Brown of Livingston, MT; Gannon (Ronda) Brown of Lee’s Summit, MO; and, Barbara Strickland of Overland Park, KS.  She is survived by her grandchildren: Reid and Will Montgomery, Marianna (Zachary) Willis; Alexander (EmilySmith), Grace (Kolby Anson), Daniel and Bella Brown; Ava Brown and Hayden (Katie) Hulver; Abram, Avery and Anderson Strickland.

Anna and Russell were married on June 13, 1964. Sanibel Island was where they spent their honeymoon, and it continued to be a special place for their entire family throughout the years.  Together, they modeled that family is priority and that it takes work to be committed to something that is so valuable.  They also modeled what it looked like to love God and love people. Anna was an expert at doing both! Together they were able to impact the lives of their friends and community, but also people all over the world, when they were able to travel for Russell’s work. Anna left a lasting impression on everyone she met because of the grace and love she showed them. She believed everyone had a story to tell, and her own life story was a good one!

Anna was the heart of the Brown family, and she loved it when she was with her kids and grandkids at school, sporting, or church events. Some of her favorite times were when her house was full and everyone was gathered in her home sharing huge meals, playing games, and laughing!  She mostly loved just sitting and talking to her kids and grandkids about their lives. She had the special ability of seeing and loving each of her kids and grandkids in their own unique way and encouraging them to be fully who God created them to be.

When not with family, Anna was happiest when she was with her friends. She treasured her weekly lunch outings with her best friends, and meeting with her Bible Study group of women over many years.  She was an avid reader, student and an amazing writer. She loved to study the Bible and to do book studies. Her creativity was shown in her love for beautiful and simple things in her world, like in her beautiful flower gardens, where she spent hours digging in the dirt and making her yard look perfect. She loved shelling on Sanibel Island, and she spent hours on the beach searching for the most treasured shell. Anna loved sports, and if her Jayhawks were playing basketball or the Chiefs were playing football, she was coaching them onto victory. Anna was an amazing “southern” cook and hostess and loved to serve others by having large dinners for the family or tea parties for her Bible Study. Anna’s laugh was infectious. She had a sharp mind and wicked sense of humor. She brought life to every room she entered. She had the ability to create a space that made all feel welcome and at home. Anna did not know a stranger, and whether she spoke with you for one minute or an hour, you would walk away feeling encouraged, noticed and important.

Most importantly, Anna’s faith in Jesus encompassed and guided her through all the areas of her life. Jesus was as real to her as the most alive person you could ever know. She often talked about being so anxious to see Him face to face. Her life is one that tells the story of God’s love, acceptance, forgiveness and redemption. She would love to share all aspects of what God was teaching her and how He had worked in her life. Her life was an expression of God’s love that she had experienced from having a deep relationship and knowing Jesus in a personal way. Anna’s greatest desire was for others to experience God’s love the way that she had in her own life. She was an amazing example of what God’s unconditional love for us looks like.

We are confident in this, that her transition from her last breath here was seamless to her first breath in heaven. We can hardly wait to be with her there someday! Mom Mom’s life was a life well-lived, and we are blessed to have had her as ours for the time that we did.

We invite you to celebrate Anna’s life and graduation to heaven on May 13, 2023 at 1:00 pm at Wesley Chapel at the Church of the Resurrection – 13720 Roe Avenue Leawood, KS 66224 (east side of campus). Reception to follow in the Student Center. Please wear casual dress and bright colors to celebrate.

The service will be livestreamed at cor.org/memorialsonline for those that cannot attend.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Anna’s honor to Zoe’s House –https://zoeshouseadoptions.com/ – in memory of Anna Brown.