Leo J. Brown

Leo Joseph Brown, age 85, passed away peacefully in Weston, WI on April 1, 2024, just three days shy of his 86^th birthday.  Leo was so thankful to be taken from the nursing home by his two daughters, Tina and Kathy.  They made certain that he was lovingly cared for in his final days.

Leo was born in Lonsdale, MN to Mary and Leonard Brown, on April 4, 1938, in the upstairs bedroom of the family farmhouse. He was raised as a farm kid and went to country school where his mother was his teacher.  Leo was a graduate of Bethlehem Academy's Class of 1956 in Faribault, MN.  He didn't play many sports as a kid.  He said he was too short for basketball and not fast enough for baseball, but he did join the boxing club at BA and earned a letter for his skill!

Leo married Jean Marie Hoban of Faribault, MN on December 22, 1962 in Ft Still, OK.  They were married for 38 years and had seven children-Tina-1962, Connie-1963, Molly-1965, Peter-1966, Sarah-1969, Kathy-1972 and Becky-1973.  There are also 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

At age 18, Leo went to work for Great Northern Railroad, later known as Burlington Northern.  He worked there for 37 years before retiring at age 56.  He was an assistant manager of Dimensional Shipments. His duties entailed choosing the route that the trains would use dependent on the cargo dimensions and weight and then took into consideration the height and width of the bridges, tunnels, overpasses and the curve of the track required for the train to reach its final destination safely. In 1983, BN moved their corporate headquarters from St Paul to Overland Park, KS. That is when, and why, Leo moved his family to Parkville, MO, where he lived until the last 11 days of his life.

Leo also proudly served, as a Corporal, in the US Army for two years.  He was stationed in Ft Benning, GA and Ft Sill, OK.  He earned medals for Sharpshooter-Rifle, Expert-Carbine and Good Conduct. He worked for a good number of Generals, Colonels and Majors, helping to write their correspondence and such.

Leo loved to work with his hands and was a "Jack of all Trades". He even did a little farming, raising soybeans, but if given a choice, he would have become a mechanic or a carpenter.  He could fix anything and always had a project going.  He was always happy to help anyone with their projects, too.  He liked to stay busy.  After retiring from the railroad, he started a handyman business and worked at the Kansas City Auto Auction.

Everyone loved Leo.  He was hard-working and so much fun! He never met anyone that did not, eventually, become his friend.  He was everyone's favorite uncle, godfather or neighbor.  Leo lived his life the way he wanted to and people were drawn to that.

His loves were many...babies, dogs, cars, grilling, being the first to have the "latest" gadgets, plaid, helping his friends and family, and his home...BUT what he really loved was dancing, listening to Polka music and playing his banjo.  He passed away listening to polka music.

He was preceded in death by his parents-Leonard and Mary, his brother-Vince and his sisters-Elaine Lambert and Terry Nuetzman.  Leo is survived by his brother-Denny and sister-Kathy Dodds, all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The funeral Mass will be held, in a couple of weeks, at St Patrick's Catholic Church on, Friday, April 26, 2024.  Address:  7525 Dodd Road, Faribault, MN for GPS, but the church is actually located in Shieldsville, MN.  Visitation will be from 10-11am, Mass 11am-12pm, with urn interment and luncheon to follow.