Edwyna “Eddie” Brown died peacefully in her Ajijic home on March 23 at the age of 78.
Born October 2, 1934 in Boyceville, Wisconsin, Brown had a natural talent for music. Totally self-taught, she was the organist and pianist for her church choir during high school. She attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where she majored in Christian Education and minored in Music. It was there (in Norwegian class) that she met her future husband, Hal Brown. They married in April 1956.
While her husband worked as a radar interceptor controller for the U.S. Air Force at a site in Canada, Brown was assistant superintendent of the Ramsey County Home for Girls in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Hal Brown went on to attend seminary and became a Lutheran Pastor in Chicago and its suburbs. Wherever her husband was pastor, Eddie Brown was the director of music and education.
She distinguished herself in both areas. Her youth choir, the New Life Singers, at Faith Lutheran Church on the northwest side of Chicago, was the featured choir at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) District Convention in Peoria, Illinois. Her youth choir at New Life Lutheran Church in Bolingbrook, Illinois was invited to several city and county-wide events.
Brown developed the Thematic Sunday School Program, which became very popular in her church and beyond.
In 2001, the Browns moved to Guadalajara to volunteer and teach English and music at the Casa Hogar orphanage for boys, and the Buen Pastor, a school for disadvantaged girls.
In 2002, the couple moved to Ajijic but continued to teach at the schools for two more years.
In 2004, the Browns transferred their involvement to Ajijic. Eddie joined the Church Choir at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and became of member of Los Cantantes del Lago.
Brown is survived by her husband, Hal Brown of Ajijic; her two younger brothers, Jerry Evenson and his wife Gerry of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Tim Evenson and wife Karen of Menomonie, Wisconsin. She is also survived by a daughter, Deborah Dirisamer and husband Peter of Elmhurst, Illionois; son Luther Brown and wife Sharon of Duluth, Minnesota; son Mark Brown based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; grandson David Dirisamer at Ohio State Law School; granddaughters Rachel Brown at North Park University in Chicago and Holly and Hilary Brown of Duluth Minnesota; and grandsons Eddie and Hector Brown of Duluth, Minnesota.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday April 6, 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church (San Lucas 19, Riberas del Pilar).