Lois E. Brown

Lois Brown, a longtime resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, passed away August 7th, 2018. She was born on October 29th in Milwaukee, the daughter of Lucene Kozlowski and her husband, Vincent.

Lois was educated at Holy Redeemer Grade School in Milwaukee. After she graduated from Custer High School in Milwaukee, Lois worked at Cutler-Hammer, where she met William George Brown. She had two wonderful children with Bill; Joseph and Leslie, during her seven years of marriage.

Loving camping at Silver Spring Camp Ground, Lois joined the camping group, Parents Without Partners. Ten ladies formed a friendship that lasted through forty years of celebrating triumphs and supporting each other through hardships. The group met monthly, rotating lunch at each other's houses, working around Lois's schedule because she was the busiest.

Living life to the fullest, Lois belonged to many clubs. She briefly belonged to the Nordic Ski Club but really found her place in the Vagabond Ski and Social Club, becoming the Membership Director for many years. She was honored with an Outstanding Service Award as a member of the Vagabond Board of Directors. In her forty years as a member of the Vagabonds, Lois ran unique events like the Madrigal Dinner, musicals, a tour of Lambeau Field and a house boat trip on the Mississippi River. She also was a leader, encouraging other people to volunteer to help and run their own events as well. 

Lois liked her routine activities - Scrabble on Mondays, cards on Tuesdays, the monthly Vagabond meeting on the first Wednesday of the month and Wednesday Vagabond Golf League. She belonged to the AYH Canoe Group - later changing its name to the Glacier State Paddlers, for over thirty years. With a beautiful voice, Lois went to New York City to sing at Carnegie Hall with the Milwaukee Singers.

After working in the credit department at JCPenney for twenty-seven years, Lois retired and co-coordinated the annual JCPenney retirement party every April. She needed to get out of the house and do something every day. When there was more than one thing to do on the weekend and she couldn't decide which one to do, she would do both. Sometimes she left one event to go to another and went back to the original event. Lois would love to swim at Lannon, sit by the campfire, dance at a festival, tailgate at a Brewers game, sail outside of the breakwater on Lake Michigan, sit by the garden, talk on the phone with a cat on her lap, canoe down the Wisconsin River, travel the world and bake cookies for care packages. Lois was full of energy and lived life to the fullest. Few could keep up with her.

Above all, Lois was a kind and generous mother and friend to all, making sure that no one felt left out or was left alone on the holidays. She was very loved and will forever live in our hearts.

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