The Rev. Lowell H. Brown, resident of Sevierville TN, died on May 13, 2025, at the age of 96. Lowell was born April 15, 1929, in Perry, Kansas, to Minor Loren and Lydia Marie (Bodenhausen) Brown. He was fourth of eight children. He was preceded in death by: Elwyn Leroy, killed at Pearl Harbor; Evelyn Rose Wiebel, Charles Merwin, Bobby Carl, Sheldon LaVern, and Marvin Floyd. He is survived by brother Marlin Lloyd Brown (Dixie) of Wichita, KS.
On June 24, 1951, he married Wilma Pearl Pratt of Waverly, Kansas. She passed away on July 25, 2011. They met at church youth group meetings, and were married for 60 years.
They have two daughters: Dixie Diane Seaton (Tom) of Sevierville, TN, and Carla Renee Peavy (Grady) of Springfield, IL. They have 5 grandchildren: Joel Seaton (Alana), Kimberly Walter (Ryan), Phillip Seaton (Jessica), Benjamin Krimmel (Julia) and Jennifer Stelzer (Jason); and 8 great-grandchildren: Lily, Charlie, Violet, and Camellia Seaton; Peyton and Alexis Stelzer; and Jack and Max Krimmel.
Lowell graduated from Williamsburg High School in Williamsburg, KS in 1947. He attended Kansas University for two years, graduating from York College in York, Nebraska in 1951. He graduated from Bonebrake Seminary (now United Theological Seminary) with a Master of Divinity degree. On May 22, 1955, he was ordained to the ministry of Jesus Christ in the Evangelical United Brethren Church at Salina, Kansas.
Rev. Brown served churches in Nebraska, Ohio and Kansas. While in Alexander, Kansas, he was also a Scoutmaster and a member of the Kiwanis Club. In 1961, he was made Assistant State Director of the Christian Rural Overseas Program in Kansas, becoming the State Director of CROP in Illinois, moving to Springfield
IL in 1963. He was made Assistant Director of the Field Department of the National CROP Office in Elkhart, Indiana, in 1976. In 1981, he was made Director of that Department. In October of 1988, he was made acting Associate Director of the Overseas Programs of the Church World Service and Witness Program of the National Council of Churches in Christ in the USA, in New York. He maintained this position until his retirement in June, 1993.
In Springfield, Lowell and Wilma were active members of First EUB Church, which became Trinity United Methodist. He taught the Truvilo Sunday School class and sang in the choir. He was a staff member of the Illinois Council of Churches. He was also active in the National Association of Ecumenical Staff.
Lowell & Wilma were very active in the life of Hillcrest United Methodist Church while in Elkhart. They served numerous positions on committees, and continue with their singing.
After retirement, he volunteered with the Elkhart County chapter of the American Red Cross, as Chair of Disaster Services. In this role he was instrumental in the formation of the Elkhart County Unit of Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disasters (VOAD) involving ten local agencies. In 1999 he was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Red Cross Chapter.
Lowell obtained his private pilot’s license while in Springfield, using the airstrip used by Charles Lindburg on stopovers while delivering mail. He was a member of the Mishawaka Pilots Club while in Elkhart. He and wife Wilma enjoyed traveling in their RV, spending many winters in Arizona on work camps through the Kansas Volunteers in Mission group.
Lowell and Wilma moved to Wesley Manor at Frankfort, IN in 1999, and was active
in the Family Council, the Singing Saints and the String-A-Longs. He attended the St. Matthew United Methodist Church, sang in the Chancel Choir and taught a Sunday School Class.
Due to Covid isolation, his family invited him to move down with them to Sevierville TN in 2021, where he lived out his days enjoying grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Funeral services are planned for Sunday, June 29th at Middle Creek United Methodist Church in Sevierville, TN. Memorials may be made to Church World Service, or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Lowell Brown will be sorely missed by his family and friends, as he was a kind, loving man who was an inspiration and mentor to us all. But more than that, the world has lost a man devoted to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ through his work in world mission to feed the hungry, lift up the downtrodden. His legacy will live on through the work of others that he has inspired throughout his long life.