Mary Louise (VanWinkle) Brown, 97, of Geneseo, passed away on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at Allure of Geneseo. A funeral service to celebrate her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at Vandemore Funeral Homes & Crematory – Geneseo Chapel. Pastor Stacie Fidlar will officiate. The funeral service will be livestreamed at www.vandemorefuneralhome.com/live-stream. Visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home. The family asks that all guests comply with the State of Illinois mask mandate when attending the visitation and funeral service. Memorials may be directed to the Geneseo Education Foundation (www.geneseoeducation.com) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org).
Mary was born July 30, 1924, the daughter of Grover Cleveland and Genendal (Wilson) VanWinkle, in Imboden, AR. On December 19, 1941, she married Russell Carles Brown at Valley Chapel in Ravenden Springs, AR. He preceded her in death on October 31, 1993. Mary enjoyed quilting, hunting, fishing, flowers, and birds – especially cardinals. She loved spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Those left to cherish her memory include her daughter, Linda Lievens, Geneseo; son, Carles (Dorothy) Brown, Geneseo; son-in-law, Kenny Atwell, Geneseo; grandchildren, Tim Atwell, Atkinson, Corey (Kris) Atwell, Lakevilla, IL, Trisha Brown, Bradford, IL, Jeff (Mindy) Brown, Geneseo, Kathie (Doug) McKoon, Port Bryon, Kristie (Brian) Mannon, Kewanee, Kevin Lievens, Geneseo; great-grandchildren, Morgan, Nathan, Josie, Esther, Russell, Bella, Sarah, Justin, Trenton, Hannah, and Haylie; and sister, Mickey (Carson) Haley, AR.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Grover and Genendal; husband, Russell; daughter, Genendal Atwell; brothers, William, George, Clay, Lawrence, Henry, Willard, Herman, Colonel Lee, and Bill VanWinkle; sisters, Jewel VanWinkle, Sallie VanWinkle, Eillen (Boby) Kiefer, and Oma Massey.