08/13/2026
Elizabeth Darlene (McDonnell) Brown passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at the age of 100.
Darlene was born in Chariton, Iowa, on June 19, 1926, to Virgil Darlin McDonnell and Violet Berneice (Barton) McDonnell.
They lived for a time in Newbern, and later moved to Knoxville, Iowa.
Her father and later her brother, Berns “Mac” McDonnell, worked security at the Iowa State Fair for many years, and Darlene enjoyed camping there with her family.
She graduated from Knoxville High School in 1944 after earning her Normal School Teaching Certificate.
Darlene then taught in a one-room schoolhouse for six years in rural Iowa, attending Simpson College to further her education. During those years she participated in a town team of basketball and softball.
Darlene commuted to work in a Des Moines department store in the summer of 1949 when she met a handsome young man from Des Moines, Lewis DeWayne Brown (“Bud”).
They were married the following August 1950 at First Methodist Church in Knoxville.
Darlene taught one more year while she and Lew lived in Des Moines, as Lew commuted to and finished attending Iowa State University in Ames.
In June 1951, they moved to Wisconsin for seven years, living in Lake Mills where four daughters were born. In 1959 they moved to Duluth, MN, where a daughter and son joined the family.
The one exception to living in Duluth was when their family moved to Bangkok, Thailand from 1971-1973.
After Lew passed unexpectedly in 1977, she began to work in the Duluth area school lunch program at area schools for many years.
Darlene was an active member of the Coppertop First United Methodist Church in Duluth since 1959, and active in many other civic and social organizations over the years as well.
Darlene loved to socialize and was a friend to everyone and a stranger to none.
Her Irish heritage was evident in her sense of humor, teasing ways and her ability to make a connection with anyone she met.
She traveled extensively. She equally enjoyed returning to Knoxville for her high school class reunions and visiting with old friends.
She and Lew felt the pull of family and friends in Iowa. Yearly summer vacations spent in Iowa are favorite memories for her children.
Although she lived in Minnesota for the last 67 years of her life, she was an Iowa girl at heart.
She lived a hundred years in a century filled with stunning achievements and miraculous discoveries. Through it all, Darlene loved and led and lived by example. Her family and friends loved her and will miss her dearly.
Darlene leaves to mourn two daughters, Patti Lynn Villars of Duluth, MN and Darci Lynn Wutz (Richard) of Menomonee Falls, WI, and son William DeWayne Brown of Duluth, MN; her grandchildren Serena Lynn Brown and Michael Lewis Brown both of Austin, TX; nephews and cousins, immediate and removed.
She is preceded in death by her husband Lewis DeWayne Brown; three daughters, Vicki Lynn Boyer, Joni Lynn Woodward (John), and Kristi Lynn Brown, all of Duluth; her parents Virgil Darlin McDonnell and Violet Berneice (Barton) McDonnell of Knoxville, Iowa; brother Virgil Berns McDonnell and sister-in-law Janice (Hanna) McDonnell, parents-in-law Lewis and Gladys Brown and sister-in-law Virginia Anderson, all of Des Moines, Iowa.
A Celebration of Life will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Coppertop First United Methodist Church, 230 E. Skyline Pkwy in Duluth, MN.
The service will begin at 1:00pm, with a visiting reception to follow. She will have a private burial at Forest Hill Cemetery in Duluth, MN.
Special thanks to the Cremation Society of Minnesota Duluth Chapel. We are especially grateful to the caring staff of Open Arms Senior Living and Essentia Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Duluth, MN.