Carol J. Brown

Carol J. Brown, 83, of La Crosse was granted her angel wings on November 4^th, 2015. The last seven months of her life were spent at Hillview Health Care Center after suffering a traumatic brain injury.

Carol was born March 3, 1932, in La Crosse to Urban and Laura Keil. She graduated from Central High School in 1949. This is where she met some of her best friends for life, including Rita Fanshaw, Dorothy Every, and Delores Osweiler. She married Eugene (Gene) Brown on November 7^th, 1950. He preceded her in death on October 14, 1979. Therefore, they were able to celebrate their 65^th wedding anniversary together.

She lived her entire life on or near the family farms; one on Keil Coulee Road and another on Smith Valley Road in Medary. Carol loved her life on the farm where she took care of her father and brothers for many, many years.

Working with young children was her passion. She was a teacher assistant in the La Crosse School District for 20 years, retiring in 1997, and was a caregiver for several individuals for over 25+ years.

She was a 4-H Leader with the Smith Valley 4-H Club for over 50 years, a member of the West Salem Historical Society, and a volunteer at the Smith Valley School Museum.

Carol is survived by her four children, Debbie (Allan) Kircher of Johnson Creek, Mike Brown of La Crosse, Laurie (Jeff) Every of Onalaska, and Wendy Brown Lepsch of La Crosse. Her grandchildren, Tammy (Michael) Houlihan, Danny (Kendra) Van Slyke, Kylie and Joe Formanek, Katie and Adam Kircher, Connor Every, Dakota and Montana Lepsch. Her 12 great-grandchildren were her precious honeybees. Additional survivors also include her brother, Bob (Ruth) Keil, and sister-in-law, Lorraine Keil, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, and her best friends Marilou and Ron Ramsett, and Louise Leibl.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her brothers, David and Franklin (Bud) Keil, her sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and Alfred Werner, sister-in-law, Jan Keil, and a great grandchild Emily Anne-Marie Houlihan.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1333 13^th St. S. Rev. Rick Roberts will officiate with burial to be held at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in La Crosse. Family and friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00 PM , Monday, November 9, 2015 at Blaschke & Schneider Funeral Home, 1501 West Ave. South, and from 9:30 AM until the time of Mass at Church on Tuesday.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Hillview Health Care Center for their loving care of Carol. Memorials can be directed to the Coulee Region Humane Society, La Crosse County 4-H Program, or the Smith Valley School Museum.