Wilburn Leon & Mary June (Cole) Brown
Tombstone Photo
Silent Home Cemetery
Roll, Roger Mills County, OK

Photos © Karen Harman

Thank You For Your Service!

Mary June Cole Brown

© Cheyenne Star

Submitted by: Wanda Purcell

Mary June Cole Brown was born November 30, 1929 in Durham to Flora Mae and Rogert Lee Cole and died February 8, 1993 in the Roger Mills Memorial Hospital at the age of 63.

Mrs. Brown graduated from Crawford High School as Salutatorian in 1948 and married Leon Brown on November 6, 1948 in Alanreed, Texas. They lived and farmed in the Crawford Community and in 1955 they moved to Sunray, Texas and later to Cactus, Texas before moving to Borger.

In 1965, she began nursing school at North Plains Hospital in Borger, and graduated with honors in 1967.

She worked at North Plains Hospital, St. Ann's Nursing Home in Panhandle, Borger Nursing Center, and Magic Plains Nursing Center before moving back to the Crawford Community in 1989.

She was a member of the Crawford Magnolia Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Services will be at 2:00 p.m. Thursday at the Crawford Magnolia Baptist Church officiated by A. L. Martin. Interment will be in the Silent Home Cemetery, Roll, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma under the direction of Rose Chapel Funeral Service.

Survivors include her husband, Leon of the home; two daughters and sons-in-law Patsy and Dr. Jere Wells of Erie, Kansas; Debbie and Dick Tweed of Borger, Texas; one son, Michael C. of Dallas, Texas; her mother-in-law Vauda Brown of Crawford; and two granddaughters.
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Obit for Wilburn posted by Martha Reddout
Jul 16, 1924 - Feb 21, 2019

Whinery Funeral Service
Sayre, OK
(permission granted)

Wilburn Leon Brown was born July 16, 1927 to Vauda Marie (Barber) and Carl Roscoe Brown in Aunt Blanch’s home down the road from Grandma and Grandpa Barber’s home. He passed away February 21, 2019 at the age of 91 years, 7 months and 5 days.

Leon joined the U.S. Navy shortly after his seventeenth birthday where he served his country during World War II as a Navy Seabee with the 109th Construction Battalion. He was sent to Japan aboard the USS Baxter where his ship was detained in Pearl Harbor at the time the armistice was signed. From there he and his shipmates were deployed to the South Pacific. Following the end of the war, he served the remainder of his time on the island of Guam, receiving the World War II Medal of Honor and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal upon his honorable discharge in 1946. After returning from Guam, he went back to school and graduated from Crawford High School in 1948 with his childhood sweetheart Mary June Cole. On November 6, 1948 he was married to Mary June in Alanreed, Texas by their high school principal/superintendent who Leon said was one of the most influential persons in his life with the exception of his parents. Mary June and Leon’s first home was on the O.D. Lucas homestead where they cared for Grandma Lucas, Flo’s mom. They later moved up the hill a couple of miles. Leon continued farming and he and Mary June raised three children. They milked dairy cows and harvested broomcorn. They planted and picked cotton using the income to purchase the 1954 Chevrolet pickup still owned by the family. In 1954 they moved to Sunray, Texas where Leon worked at the potash plant for six months before landing a job as an extruder operator for Phillips Petroleum Company in Cactus, Texas. Leon later transferred to the Philtex/Ryton plant in Phillips, Texas where he and his best friend Jess Arrington were known as two of the best extruder operators in the plant. They were often called out in the middle of the night to get the plant “up and running” after the plant had gone down. When Leon transferred to the Philtex/Ryton plant, the family moved to Borger, Texas. They remained there until his retirement in 1986 when he and Mary June moved back to the Cole homestead where she grew up. Mary June passed away in February 1993. Leon later married Catherine (Henning) Cole in Mustang, Oklahoma on June 10, 1995. Leon was a lifelong member of Magnolia Baptist Church, but in more recent years he had transferred his membership to the Reydon Baptist Church. 

He was preceded in death by one infant brother, C.R. Brown Jr., one infant sister, Natalea Fay Brown, his parents, his first wife, Mary June Cole, and his son, Michael Carllee Brown. 

Leon is survived by his second wife Catherine Brown of Cheyenne, Oklahoma; his brother, Dauris Lee Brown and his wife Joanne of Amarillo, Texas; two daughters: Patsy and Rev. Dr. Jere’ Wells of Durham, Oklahoma; Debra and Dick Tweed of Durham, Oklahoma; Catherine’s sons, Terry Cole of Austin, Texas, Paul Cole and his wife Christina of Dallas, Texas. Leon and Mary June always looked forward to a visit from children and grandchildren. Having the house full was music to their ears. Grandchildren are: Patricia Michele McCurdy and husband Dale of Amarillo, Texas and their children Blake, Thomas, Shelby and Coleby; Mandy Camille Duling and husband Ryan and their children, Jonathan and Tyler of Walnut, Kansas; and twenty grandchildren.

Leon never went anywhere he didn’t initiate a conversation with someone! He never met a stranger!

Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM, Saturday, March 2, 2019 at Magnolia Baptist Church in Crawford, Oklahoma with Pastor Terry Beals, Pastor Randy Green, Rev. John Wheeler and U.S. Representative Frank Lucas officiating.

Interment will follow at Silent Home Cemetery in Roll, Oklahoma. 

Viewing will be held Thursday and Friday, February 28, 2019 and March 1, 2019 from 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM at Rose Chapel in Cheyenne, Oklahoma.

The visitation for Catherine Brown’s family will be held Thursday, February 28, 2019 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Rose Chapel – Cheyenne.

The visitation for Leon Brown’s family will be held Friday, March 1, 2019 at Rose Chapel - Cheyenne. The family will be staying at Debra Brown-Tweed’s home.

Memorials may be sent to Silent Home Cemetery as well as Hemphill County Hospice 1020 S. 4th, Canadian, Texas, 79014.

Online guestbook and condolences are available at www.whinerfs.com Services are under the care and direction of Rose Chapel – Cheyenne.

Visitation
Thursday, February 28, 2019 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Rose Chapel Funeral Service (Cheyenne)
101 N. 6th Street
Cheyenne, Oklahoma 73628

Family Gathering
Thursday, February 28, 2019 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Rose Chapel Funeral Service (Cheyenne)
101 N. 6th Street
Cheyenne, Oklahoma 73628

Family gathering for the Catherine Brown family
Friday, March 01, 2019 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Rose Chapel Funeral Service (Cheyenne)
101 N. 6th Street
Cheyenne, Oklahoma 73628

Family Gathering
Friday, March 01, 2019 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Rose Chapel Funeral Service (Cheyenne)
101 N. 6th Street
Cheyenne, Oklahoma 73628

Family gathering for the Leon Brown family

Funeral Service
Saturday, March 02, 2019 11:00 AM
Magnolia Baptist Church
Crawford, Oklahoma

Burial
Saturday, March 02, 2019 11:45 AM
Silent Home Cemetery
Roll, Oklahoma

A keepsake video is available through the funeral home.

Thank You For Your Service!

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