Jeanne Marie Brown

Jeanne Marie (Winters) Brown, 78, passed away from respiratory failure in the early evening on Easter Sunday, April 4th, 2026, in her room at Blue Haven Memory Care in Independence, her family at her side.

Jeanne was born on January 26, 1948 in Pendleton, Oregon. She was the oldest of four children, and from a young age showed an interest in becoming a nurse, giving medical care to her dolls. Jeanne graduated from Pendleton High School in 1966. She then attended Oregon State University with a full scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. At OSU, she met her late husband, Frank Joseph (Joe) Brown, and they married on August 31, 1968 in Pendleton, Oregon. She returned to school to obtain a Registered Nursing Degree from Chemeketa Community College in 1978.

Jeanne was both a teacher and a nurse, and changed lives in both professions. She taught elementary school for several years, helping third graders learn how to read. As a Labor and Delivery nurse, she helped deliver over 1000 babies. She also worked in maternal child health, school nursing, and hospital nursing. She spent her life in Oregon, living in Pendleton, Corvallis, Salem, Monmouth, and Independence. She retired in October 2011, and spent her retirement in Monmouth and Independence.

In her free time, Jeanne was dedicated to her family. She liked to call her kids and grandkids her “magnum opus.” She delighted in talking daily on the phone with her grandchildren, and playing board games with and reading books to them. Jeanne fostered a love of music in her family, playing the piano, singing lullabies, and encouraging her kids as they learned to play musical instruments and sing. Most of her life, Jeanne home canned and froze hundreds of quarts of food, much of it from their garden, every year. She was talented at sewing, and made clothing for herself and her family, as well as dolls, decor, and gifts. Jeanne loved to celebrate every holiday, birthday, and special occasion with her family, with decorations and treats, to add joy and sparkle to life.

Jeanne is preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Joe Brown. She is survived by her children, Melody Allen (and husband Joel), Andrew Brown, April Waskiewicz (and husband Alex), and Kristen Brown, and her grandchildren, Emily Brown, Natalie Allen, Andrew Brown, Lucy Allen, and Nikolai Waskiewicz. She is survived by her brothers, Phil Winters and Scott Winters, and preceded in death by her sister, Judy Howdyshell.

Jeanne was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and her family remembers her infectious laugh, her love of sparkle and shine, her loving support, and true interest in, and cheerleading of all those around her. We will always remember the love she shared with her husband, the wonderful hugs and nurse kisses she readily gave her children and grandchildren, and how she always, without fail as we said goodbye, said I love you.

The family invites you to share memories and photos on this memorial page to celebrate Jeanne’s life.