William R. Brown

William R. Brown
April 19, 1926 - January 17, 2012
North English, Iowa
Visitation: 4 PM to 7 PM January 21, 2012 at Powell Funeral Home & Cremation Service, North English, IA
Funeral Service: 1:00 PM January 22, 2012 at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church, rural Williamsburg, IA
Interment: January 22, 2012 at Community Cemetery, rural Deep River, IA
William R. Brown, age 85, died after a sudden illness on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at Marengo Memorial Hospital in Marengo. Funeral services will be held at the Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church near Williamsburg at 1:00 PM on Sunday, January 22, 2012, with Pastor Eric Nygren officiating. Burial with military rites will be in the Community Cemetery west of Millersburg. Visitation will be from 4 PM to 7 PM on Saturday, January 21, 2012, at Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Service in North English. A memorial fund has been established for The Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church or the North English QRS. Messages and tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com under obituaries. William Robert "Bill" Brown was born on April 19, 1926, near Ladora, Iowa, a son of John and Alma Begunck Brown. He attended country school and Ladora High School. He farmed with his father and brother until serving his country in the Army during the Korean Conflict. While in Korea he was captured and was a prisoner of the North Korean and Chinese Communists for 27 months. He was released in a prisoner exchange and returned home in August 1953. Bill was united in marriage to Marlys L. Merck on June 25, 1954 at the Methodist Church in Millersburg. He farmed west of Millersburg until moving to North English in August 2003. Bill was a member of the Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church and served as a deacon and trustee. He had served on the Iowa County Cattlemen's Board and volunteered at the VA Medical Center in Iowa City. Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, visiting with family and friends and going to the EV Malt Shop. He is survived by his wife Marlys of North English; daughters Christine (Kevin) Koehn of North English and Donna (Mick) Gorsch of Millersburg; 7 grandchildren: Shara (Scott) Axmear, Caleb (Erin) Koehn, Maria (Mark) Wagner, Jeremy Koehn, Derek (Adrienne) Gorsch, Robby Gorsch, and Amelia Koehn; 8 great grandchildren; sisters Kathryn Brown and Margery (Ed) McAdam both of Victor; and a brother Tom (Janet) Brown of Robins. Bill was preceded in death by his parents and a son Bruce William Brown.