Donna Marie Gilmore Brown
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Donna Marie Gilmore Brown died peacefully with loved ones by her side Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at the age of 96. She was the first born to Charles and Juanita (Lowry) Gilmore, in Silverdale, Kansas. She attended Silverdale school until 8th grade before her family moved 9 miles to Arkansas City, KS. While in high school, she worked at a soda fountain for 35 cents per hour until the phone company called, offering 50 cents per hour for operators. Now she could buy a strawberry shake instead of making one!
She married Harvey Jay Brown on December 2, 1949 and together they had 2 daughters, Marsha and Judy. They lived in Arkansas City until moving to Eudora in 2007.
She helped support Brown Construction, where although she didn’t receive a paycheck she assisted with bookkeeping, running errands, and being a painter/stainer.
Donna loved to travel. She rode the train to California with her sister Betty when she was 19. Camping and boating trips happened every weekend while raising her family. She would laugh about just getting unpacked from the weekend to turn around and pack up again. She enjoyed water skiing and the cabin at Table Rock Lake. In later years, she loved roaming around with Harvey in their mini-home. Some of the trips they enjoyed were to Alaska, Arizona, Big Bend, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. Traveling for her was not just a way to see new places, but a way to meet new friends and learn about people. She continued traveling following Harvey’s passing, including summer Colorado trips with Judy and many other family vacations. She was delighted at a trip to Europe with family and friends in 2014. She loved to “run away from home” and always encouraged her family to do the same.
Donna didn’t know a stranger. When a new neighbor would move onto the block she would march right down the street and introduce herself. It wasn’t long before she would become the “granny” of the block. Her outgoing nature allowed her to develop close and meaningful relationships throughout her entire life.
Donna loved to stay moving, both physically and mentally. She was going on walks until days before she passed. She had an openness to learning and was non-judgmental when it came to hearing about other ways of living than what she knew. She loved to go to new places and meet new people. She was hip and always stayed up on the times. She knew how to navigate her cellphone and always added a music note emoji to her messages. Her loving and accepting nature allowed her to develop close relationships with her great grandchildren despite the generation gap.
She would often share stories of unfavorable life experiences such as running out of gas in the boat and reference these events as “making memories”. These were indeed memories of life not going as planned, however enjoying the ride along the way and finding the beauty in the unplanned or undesired. A favorite “memory” was using the bucket in the garage as a toilet when the pipes froze. Granny somehow made this tragedy into a fun game.
Donna loved to be in community with others and enjoyed spending her time working at the food pantry, going to exercise class, and being an active member in church. She always thought of others and was genuinely interested in how people were doing. She always wanted to know what was going on in your life and checked on her neighbors, sometimes dropping off food gifts.
To know Donna was to love her. Her bright and joyful spirit was not only infectious but also inspiring. We will miss her beautiful presence, her sparkly barrettes, and her morning text with an inspirational quote or a picture of the weather forecast from the morning news.
She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings Jim Gilmore, Arlene Walker, Paul Gilmore, and her husband, Harvey. She is survived by her sister Betty Givens, daughter and son in law Marsha and Bill Gordon of Eudora, Judy Crandall of Austin, TX, bonus daughter and wonderful friend Sheila Gordon and wonderdog Kaz, 3 granddaughters Cody and Marc Epperly, Courtney and Daniel Taylor, and Amy and Eric Ames, and 3 great grandchildren Jaden (fiance Tyler Smith), Sydney, and Reagan, and many special nieces and nephews.
Services to celebrate Donna’s life will be held on January 13 at 2 pm at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ with a reception following at 3 pm at the Lodge in Eudora. Memorial contributions can be made to: Eudora Food Pantry or St. Paul’s UCC.
Oh, Marcia and Bill, we will remember you all in prayers as you grieve. Your Mother sounds like a person who helped you appreciate and enjoy life to its fullest! Plus, being a real neighbor to others throughout her life. Elizabeth & Nick
The obituary summed up our friend perfectly. I am happy I got a chance to know her. Deepest sympathy to family and friends. She is already missed at the food pantry.
What a beautifully written life story about some one so beautiful in soul, spirit and personality. It’s often said, but rarely truly true, that to know her is to love her. But it was true of her. Even more, for her to know you, was to be loved by her. I was blessed to be loved by Donna, I hope I will do half as well with others as she did. A great life model!✨️
Mauri Peaco
My sincere sympathy for you all in the passing of sweet Donna. She was a treasure to all who knew her and a kind and compassionate friend to me. I will miss her.
I am so sad for the bright light in the world known as Donna passing away. I so enjoyed her smile and conversation at St. Paul. My heart is with you.
May the great memories of her with all of you be a comfort during this time of loss. Love you all. 🙏
Donna was a lovely person. I always enjoyed being with her when she was in Texas. She will be missed.
I feel honored to have spent time with Donna. She was so sweet and kind and an absolute delight to be around. She always asked how you were and genuinely cared about others. I’m so sorry for your loss. Her presence has blessed many.
Diane Kennedy:
So very sorry for your loss. I loved seeing her in church every Sunday. Her sweet smiling face and welcoming
manner will be greatly missed by all of us.
All our love and deepest condolences. What an amazing woman with a beautiful life spirit. Her life was an incredible journey. Donna, you will be missed, but not forgotten. Rest in Peace. Love and hugs to all who knew her and loved her.
Love always,
Cappy Felger Adams and Fred Adams
New Braunfels, Texas
What a beautiful story about her life and the person she was. Her zest for life could always be seen in her smile and the gleam in her eye. I, like so many others, am Blessed and a better person to have known Donna. She has left quite a legacy in you, her family. She will be greatly missed but forever remembered (especially every time we host Classic Movie Monday).
Love, hugs and prayers.
Ms Donna what a wonder you were to me, I can’t remember a time you were not here,your very presence brought joy to so many of us I miss you already, now rest in peace. My lovely friend.
My deepest condolences to the entire family. Donna will live forever in your hearts and thoughts. She will be missed but never forgotten. She lived a lovely life and was close to friends and family. Rest in piece Donna. Heaven has gained another loving angel.
New Braunfels Texas
So sorry to hear of Donna’s passing. She was a tremendous lady. Our prayers to the family. RIP, and God Bless.
What an honor it was to get to know amazing Donna. We had several lovely visits with her and Judy when she’d come to New Braunfels. Donna was quite an inspiration on many levels and I miss her already. Her long full active life, I know, will remind many of us to live life to our fullest! May the hearts of all who love her be comforted and full of peace knowing that she is where her faith led her to be, in her Heavenly home. May light eternal shine upon her.
It is soi sad to learn of the passing of another cousin. Though she was 20 years older than me she blessed me while i was in the Navy overseas. I would get lonely and make an operator assisted cal to family in Ark City. She would identify herself and after a visit I would tell her she no longer needed to complete my call.
Sending condolences to Donna’s family. My father, Albert Utt, was one of Donna’s many first cousins. While I didn’t know Donna very well, I knew that she was widely loved and cherished by her extended family. It was nice to read about her love of travel and her advice to others to “run away from home”. I’m sure she was both blessed by and a blessing to the many people she met during her travels over the years. We all should strive to follow her example as best we can. Travel broadens the horizons of all who engage in it.
My grandmother was Anna Bennett. She was a longtime member of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Ark City along with Donna and her mother, Lavonne Gilmore. Growing up I also attended church there and have found memories of visiting with Donna through the years
My cousin Donna always called me on August 2 to tell me that she was thinking of my mother on her birthday. We would talk about my mother and Donna‘s mother, remembering their childhood together and later years. Donna was always such a sweet person and I know she will be missed.
The life of any person finds it’s true meaning in every opportunity to give, to inspire and to make living more beautiful for another and that was Donna. She was such an inspiration. Enjoyed getting to know her when I went to church with her here in Arkansas City. Thinking of you all with heartfelt sympathy. Sincerely, Debra Flamik
I am so sad but so happy Donna was my friend/sister. Sisters is what we believed! Loved her and her family so much. Donna was one of a kind. Always told her i wanted to be just like her WHEN I grow up! Love you all.