Lynn Thomas Brown

Lynn Thomas Brown died Sunday 20 June 2021 at Bell Trace Health and Living Center in Bloomington, Indiana. He had been a resident at Jill’s House Memory Care in Bloomington--where he particularly enjoyed the pie on Fridays--for the preceding four years.

Born in Hoagland, Indiana on 5 April 1936 to Ruth Barbara Kathryn (Corville) and Lloyd Carlton Brown, Lynn was the middle of five boys, all of whom he remained close to. He shared a childhood bed and a particularly close lifelong friendship with his brother Kermit. He was a graduate of Hoagland High School and attended Wittenberg and Indiana Universities.

Lynn married Carol Elaine Meyer on 7 June 1959 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and they remained married until her death in 2007. Lynn and Carol moved to Bloomington in 1960, where their first home was an 8x27-foot mobile home. Lynn managed Hoosier Trailer Town, a 95-space mobile home park. Before they bought their house in 1979, they had traded up to a 12x57-foot mobile home to which they added an additional room. Lynn and Carol had two daughters, Janis and Nancy.

Lynn and Carol joined St. Thomas Lutheran Church in 1960 (the year it was established) and each served as president of the church Council at various times. Lynn remained as active a member as he was able to be until his death.

Lynn retired from Indiana University Residential Programs and Services as the Area Manager for Apartment Housing in 2002. In addition to his day job, in the 1970s, Lynn picked up wintertime gigs plowing snow and entertained his two daughters by sometimes taking them along. He had a furnace repair and installation business that provided an endless supply of huge boxes for his girls to play in. He was a troop leader for Boy Scout troop 4 (later 104) and enjoyed camping and canoeing. He started sailing Sunfish, canoes with sails, and a Koralle Junior on Lake Lemon in the 1970s, eventually moving up to Lake Monroe where he captained a 17-foot Thistle in Sunday races until the crew (Carol and daughter Janis) finally mutinied in the early 1980s. Also in the 1980s, Lynn and Carol became avid fans of the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps, eventually volunteering on summer tours where Lynn drove one of the busses and Carol sewed the uniforms.

When Lynn’s father Lloyd died, Ruth commented with a smile that he had started singing on their honeymoon “and he never shut up since.” Lynn was the same way. He sang barbershop for a bit and was particularly partial to songs from musicals, hymns, and bawdy parody songs from Mad Magazine. He was the designated singer of “Happy Birthday” during his four years living at Jill’s House. Lynn loved wordplay and puns. He could and would recite James Whitcomb Riley, Pogo, and Dr. Seuss from memory. He knew Edward Lear’s “The Owl and the Pussycat” by heart.

Lynn was predeceased by his parents Ruth and Lloyd, his wife Carol, and his brothers Gene and Kermit. He is survived by daughters Janis Brown (James “Mike” Conley) of Sunnyvale, California and Nancy Brown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Thomas Lutheran Church or the Alzheimer's Association. A private inurnment will be held Thursday 15 July.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.DayDeremiahFrye.com.