Nobuko Brown

A visitation will be held on Friday, December 5, 2025, from 1-2:00 PM in the chapel of Elliott-Hamil Funeral Home 5701 US Highway 277 S. Abilene, Texas. Funeral services will follow at 2:00 PM also at the funeral home, with Chaplain Jim Hargrove officiating. Interment will follow in Elmwood Memorial Park.

Nobuko was born on September 18, 1930, in Nagoya, Japan. Her parents were the late Yaichiro Tada and Yasu Tada. In her early years she was an accountant in Japan. She married the late Leroy A. Brown on February 25, 1954, in Japan. Her husband’s Air Force career took them to numerous locations. She came to Abilene in 1976 from Michigan. She worked in food service at Briarstone Manor and Mack Eplen’s Cafeteria. She enjoyed fellowshipping with the Japanese community in Abilene worshiping, breaking bread and creating memories. These friendships enriched her life in many ways.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, MSgt. Leroy A. Brown, USAF(Ret.); son-in-law, Kerry Leigh Koopman; and her sister.

She is survived by her daughter, Elaine Marie Brown and granddaughter, Elizabeth Haruna Ann Koopman of Hillsboro, Oregon. She is also survived by extended relatives in Japan and beyond.