Marlene Evelyn Brown, 92, of Taylor Lake Village, Texas, was born on March 22, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. She passed away peacefully on May 11, 2024, in Houston, Texas.
Marlene was preceded in death by her parents, Miles Elmer Edwards and Frances Christine (Helgesen) Edwards of Wood Dale, Illinois and her siblings Robert Edwards, Susan Pietrucha, and Roy Edwards. She is survived by her older sister Ruth Withers, her younger brother Wayne Edwards and his wife Mary, Robert’s wife Sue, Susan’s Husband Ken, and Roy’s wife Joanne.
Marlene was married to Richard (Dick) True Brown (deceased) for 46 years before his passing in 2000. They raised four children and celebrated nine grandchildren. David and wife Margaret (Meg) of Austin, Texas and their three children, Melinda and her husband Mark, Richard (Rick), and Sara; Kenneth and wife Cynthia (Cindy) and their three children, Joshua (Josh), Tiffany, and Jennifer (Jenny); Elizabeth (Liz) and husband Gary (deceased) and daughter Linda and her husband Sam; and Daryl and wife Angeline and their two boys Benjamin and Daniel.
Marlene grew up as the second oldest of six siblings in Wood Dale, Illinois, a small town outside of Chicago. She attended and was elected Freshman Class President of Bensenville Community High School, and she even reigned as Homecoming Queen her senior year. After graduation she briefly worked for the Mars Inc. candy company. In 1952, while visiting relatives in San Francisco, California and working for an insurance company, she met the love of her life, Dick,
at a church social on Treasure Island. A sailor in the U. S. Navy and native of Kingsville, Texas, he also prided himself in being a Texas A&M Aggie, which meant nothing to her at the time. She survived breaking the news to her family that she had fallen in love with a sailor from Texas and they were married in Wood Dale, Illinois on December 5, 1953.
While Dick was deployed in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, David Edward was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, in September 1954. Marlene and David joined him at the end of his deployment in Norfolk, Virginia, where they resided until his discharge from the Navy in November of 1954.
Relocating to Texas, the family resided briefly in Kingsville, Texas where Kenneth True was born in February, 1956, before moving to College Station where Dick attended Texas A&M. There Marlene earned her PHT (Putting Hubby Through) honorary degree and came to know and love Texas A&M and what it meant to be a Texas Aggie.
After graduation, a job opportunity moved them to St. Louis, Missouri, where their daughter Elizabeth Jane was born in nearby St. Charles in February 1960. With the expansion of the United States Space Program, they went back to Texas, this time to Houston, where Dick supported NASA’s Mercury program. There, the family welcomed Daryl Richard in January of
1964. One final short move was made to Taylor Lake Village, Texas, in 1967, where Marlene resided for the rest of her life.
Raising four children and maintaining a home were full-time jobs which she fully embraced. She relished the challenge of being a mother and homemaker. She also enjoyed quilting, cooking, baking, and socializing with friends and neighbors. She was overjoyed when grandchildren started arriving and spoiled them with cookies whenever possible. She often considered baking her therapy and found hours of entertainment in her collection of cookbooks. When Dick suffered some health issues, she created a special ‘healthy’ cookie recipe beloved by all.
Marlene was a longtime member of the University Baptist Church where she attended services and Sunday school as regularly as she was able. She also enjoyed participating in Bible studies with fellow members and friends.
In addition to supporting the University Baptist Church, she also contributed to the Salvation Army and various charitable arms of the Billy Graham Crusades. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that you consider giving to these charities or one of your choice.
Marlene’s life will be celebrated on Friday, May 24, 2024 at the University Baptist Church at 16106 Middlebrook Drive, Houston, Texas, with visitation and a church service, followed by a brief graveside ceremony at Forest Park East. A reception will be held after the graveside ceremony back at the church.
View the livestream of the funeral by clinking this private link and entering the passcode:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85273286290?pwd=VnNzellqMUVqMXNNd21qWTdlV2hlUT09
Passcode: 849217
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