Kenneth L. Brown, age 80, of Elmwood, Wisconsin passed away on June 22nd at the Neighbors of Dunn County under the excellent care of the staff and St. Croix Hospice.
Ken was born on Jan 21, 1944, the youngest of five children born to Clarence Brown and Arlene (Kelly) in Hudson, Wisconsin.
His parents moved to a farm in Roberts, WI where he spent his childhood and met his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Boughton, whom he married in January of 1969. They were both in marching band and Ken played the trombone.
Ken & Kathy were both graduates of St Croix Central High School and rode horses together as close neighbors. She went off to college in Michigan and he attended the Dairy Herd Management short course and started farming. Together, they bought a farm just south of New Richmond where they raised four children, expanded the business, and were heavily involved with the special needs community. They were members of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church until their move to Elmwood in 1992. Ken was involved in the Knights of Columbus and loved singing in choirs. For several years they attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elmwood.
Ken & Kathy operated Shalom Valley Acres east of Elmwood together until she passed away in June 2016. Ken continued to farm and was especially indebted to his neighbor, friend, and hired man Greg Wolf for helping him run his beef farm until Ken’s death. Ken had many friends in the Elmwood community and became known as a trusted and faithful neighbor. He believed in hard work and helping those in less fortunate situations.
Marriage Encounter, Teens Encountering Christ, Association for Retarded Citizens, National Farmers Organization, National Cattlemen’s Association, FFA, and 4-H were all a part of his life. He received the Outstanding Young Farmer award in the 1970s. He became the President of the Chippewa Valley Ostomy Association and it became clear that if he could farm with two ostomies, anyone else with an ostomy could do anything they set their mind to! Very much the optimist, he inspired hope and a can-do attitude to everyone around him.
A pinnacle award Ken received was the Lifetime Achievement—”Wisconsin Master Agriculturalist” award in 2011. This remarkable award has been given out since 1930 to about four to nine recipients per year selected by a panel based upon contributions to the community, church, service, conservation, agribusiness, and leadership. Ken also traveled to Ireland, Washington DC, Niagara Falls, Alaska, Branson, Hawaii, Arizona, and Florida with his family.
He is survived by his daughter Angela Raether (Menomonie) her husband and children and grandchildren; his son Kurtis Brown (Menomonie) his wife, children, and grandchildren; his son Arthur (Eau Claire) and children; and daughter Rebecca (Menomonie); and his only surviving sibling Jeanne Radke (Racine). He is further survived by sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and good friend Tom Sullwold.
He was preceded in death by his parents Clarence and Arlene, spouse Kathleen, three siblings Jim, Larry and Marilyn, and grandson Jonathan Brown.
Funeral services to celebrate his life will be held at Olson Funeral Home on Saturday, June 29th 2024, in Menomonie, WI with a visitation from 9:00 – 11:00 AM and service from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
A Christian Burial will be at Lower Weston Cemetery in the Town of Weston, Dunn County, WI following lunch. Everyone is welcome to attend the interment.
Click this link to view additional details about Kenneth’s Services, including any available live streams: my.gather.app/remember/kenneth-brown-jun-22-2024.
