Harriett Ann Brown, 82, of Trenton, Florida, passed away on January 2, 2023 with her daughter, Camille, at her side. Ann was born on January 21, 1940 to Frank and Harriette (Harney) Anville in Nebraska City, Nebraska. She graduated from Nebraska City High School in 1958. She went onto study Music Education, with an emphasis on piano performance, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). While at UNL, she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and frequently played the carillon in Mueller Tower on campus.
After graduation from UNL, Ann began her teaching career in Columbus, NE. It was in Columbus, that she met the love of her life, Halden “Hal” Brown. They married and raised a family which included Deb, Renee, Camille and Janna. Together Hal and Ann worked in many school districts across the states of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Iowa. While working as a music educator, Ann experienced many accomplishments including having her school production of “Annie Get Your Gun” filmed and shown on statewide TV. Ann retired from music education in Sioux City, Iowa in 1993.
Throughout her life, Ann was devoted to music. She directed church choirs in various Nebraska towns including Tecumseh, North Platte and South Sioux City, as well as in retirement in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Always one to volunteer for service and social organizations, she was an active member of the Order of Eastern Star and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) throughout her life.
Retirement was filled with many adventures and moves. Hal and Ann lived in Mountain Home, Arkansas for ten (10) years, but were called back to their roots in Nebraska. They moved to Beatrice, NE, where they lived for many years. Daughter, Renee, and her children were living in Beatrice, at the time, so this allowed for cherished family memories. After Hal passed in 2014, Ann moved to the Legacy Retirement Communities in Lincoln, NE. While residing in Lincoln, she continued to stay active by playing Bridge with friends, cheering on her beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers, and enjoying a glass of wine at Happy Hour. At the Legacy, Ann developed many friendships, the most meaningful was her close friend, Calvin “Beech” Dale. During the Pandemic, Ann decided to move to Olathe, Kansas, to reside with her daughter, Janna and her family. Winters are cold in the Midwest, so Ann would split time between Kansas and Florida, spending the winters with her daughter Camille, soaking up the warmth and sun!
Ann is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Harriette Anville, her husband, Hal Brown, a sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and George Davis, grandson, John Hodson, and her beloved friend, Beech Dale. She is survived by her daughters and their families, Janna (Rick) Patterson (Olathe, Kansas), grandsons Harry Colgan (Olathe, Kansas), Joshua Patterson (Kansas City, Missouri), and Trey Patterson (Blue Springs, Missouri); Camille (Phil) Whiddon, (Newberry, Florida), grandchildren Phillip (Stacy) Whiddon (Inman, South Carolina), Rachel (John) Hodson (Hendersonville, North Carolina); Renee (Tom Byrne) Bauer (Helena, Montana), grandchildren Alexis (Ryan Bickhaus) Foster (Sun City, Arizona), Tim Foster (Helena, Montana); and Step Daughter, Deb Starnes (Shallotte, North Carolina), grandchildren, Jennifer (Joey) Ochs, Michael Starnes and Brian Starnes.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date in Nebraska. Memorials can be directed to: Haven Hospice of Alachua County, Florida and the Vesper Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, Beatrice, NE.
