Sharon Ruth Brown

Longtime Lawrence resident Sharon Ruth Brown (neé Burton) passed away peacefully on the morning of November 11, 2024. She was 80 years old.  Sharon was born in Kansas City, Kansas on July 16, 1944, the third child and first daughter of Charles and Ruth Burton. She attended Washington High School, where she served as the editor of the school newspaper, The Washingtonian, and graduated at the top of her class in 1962. Subsequently, Sharon attended Kansas State University, earning a B.Sc. in Education in 1966.   While there, she joined the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, eventually becoming the chapter president.  Upon graduation, Sharon worked for several years as a primary school teacher in Eudora, KS and Kansas City, KS. After a short hiatus from working, she returned to the field of education, working for the Lawrence Unified School District for 24 years, first as a traveling nurse and administrative assistant, and then, from 1982 to 2002 as a secretary at Deerfield Elementary School.

In 1968, she married Robert Dillon “Bob” Brown (1933-2016), who taught mathematics at the University of Kansas; they remained married until his death, 48 years later. Sharon and Bob raised two sons in Lawrence: Bill Brown, currently a resident of Olathe, Kansas and the broker/owner of Tom Jones Realtors; and Jeffrey Dillon Brown, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri and is an associate professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis.   Bill and his wife, Allison Brown, have three daughters – Kylee, Kalista, and Kolby Brown – while Jeff and his wife, Jessica Rosenfeld, have two daughters – Samantha and Alexandra Brown – making a total of five granddaughters upon whom Sharon showered immense amounts of love and affection in her retirement years.  In addition to these family members, she is survived by her siblings David Burton and wife Joyce (Overland Park, KS), Carol Brillhart (San Antonio, TX), and Mike Burton (Coldspring, TX), as well as her sister-in-law Diane Rowe (Shawnee, KS). She was preceded in death by her oldest brother Dean Burton (1935-1967).

Sharon was a crack Scrabble player, an expert pie baker, and a social dynamo. She led an extremely active life, both before and after retirement: she spent many years helping run the Lawrence Relay for Life in support of the American Cancer Society, drove a weekly route for Meals on Wheels, served in several executive positions for the local League of Women Voters, helped organize three separate book exchanges (as well as other activities) for the University Women’s Club, ran events for The Endacott Society, and was an active member of a Mah Jongg group, among many other pursuits. She will be fondly remembered by family and friends as a smart, kind, energetic, and selfless woman who somehow always found herself being the organizational center around which a wide variety of people were brought together.

The family will greet friends on Tuesday, November 26 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street.  There will also be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, January 11 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., at Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania St., which all are welcome to attend.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Meals on Wheels or the American Cancer Society, both of which can be sent to the mortuary.