Charles Raymond Brown
Charles Raymond Brown
Charles Raymond Brown
June 4, 1951 – March 26, 2024
Ottumwa, Iowa | Age 72
Charles Raymond Brown, 72, of rural Ottumwa, died Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at the Hospice of Wapello and Davis County Hospice House in Ottumwa. He was born June 4, 1951, in Ottumwa, Iowa, the son of Charles and Patricia Thomas Brown.
His education began in a one-room schoolhouse that was located on his family’s farm. He completed his schooling, up until third grade, at this country school and then went on to graduate from Fremont High School in 1969. Following graduation, he decided to pursue a career in animal science at Iowa State University. He completed his degree from ISU in a Bachelor of Science in 1973.
On March 31, 1983, he was united in marriage to Kimberly Hedge at the United Methodist Church in Fremont.
A lifelong learner, Charles pursued a master’s degree in business Ag at Iowa State University.
Following school, he returned home and continued his farming operation, affirming his legacy as a leading pork producer in the state of Iowa. In addition to his farming operation, Charles worked for many years as an Agriculture Business Consultant. Prior to his employment with the Iowa State Extension, he spent 25 years working with the Iowa Farm Bureau as a Farm Business Service Administrator and has always maintained his ownership and operation of Agri-Financial Services. He dedicated his professional career to providing farm financial consulting, income tax preparation, and farm business management services for generations of family farming operations.
Charles had a passion for agriculture; he loved the work, challenges and culture of farming families and their communities. He understood the family farm way of life and the value of being a resource to farm families and businesses for operations management and estate planning. His eagerness to assist extended beyond local farmers. This included traveling to Russia, where he dedicated himself to aiding agricultural businesses in adapting to a different economic system. He also spent time in Louisiana helping shrimp farmers streamline their operations to ensure a future for their operations.
Charles welcomed any opportunity to share his expertise and research with the Ag community; he was a contributing author to many farm journals and a guest on various agriculture radio programs throughout his career. At his core, he was a farmer and wanted nothing more than to be a good steward of the land and its resources.
In 2014, he joined the Iowa State Extension office in Mahaska County. He served as a Farm Management Specialist for 13 SE counties, providing education and consultation on farm financial management. He cherished this position and the relationships he was able to cultivate through his work at the extension office. He always said that he would ‘never retire’, and in some ways, he was right. True to his word and faithful to his passions, he had his last appointment with a client on March 23, just days before he passed.
Charles gave of his time and talents to many agricultural, civic, and religious organizations. He had served on the Wapello County Extension Council, several boards at Iowa State University, Center of Agriculture Law and Taxation Board, and the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative Committee.
He was also an active member of the Fremont Community Church where he served for over a decade as treasurer. He enjoyed passing his love for pork production and swine to his four daughters. He cherished the hours spent helping all four daughters raise and show their pigs and horses for FFA and 4-H. Charles dedicated his life to ensuring the profitability and longevity of family farming operations, preserving land for future generations, and instilling his work ethic & values in his four daughters.
In his free time, Charles shared his love for travel and the outdoors with his entire family. He used up each of his nine lives: one of them by surviving pancreatic cancer for over 25 years. He also begrudgingly retired early from riding his motorcycle, but could be found reading westerns, especially Louis L’Amour books, walking his acreage with his two dogs, Snoopy & Pepper, or stealing a nap just about anywhere. Annually, Charles loved to fish in Canada at Stanley’s Resort. Every summer he looked forward to his week-long escape to Eagle Lake, sleeping in a tent right outside of Buzzard’s cabin and dodging mosquitos.
His family includes his wife of 40 years, Kimberly Brown of rural Ottumwa; four daughters, Danielle (Gil) Wukitsch of Maple Park, Illinois, Melissa (Michael Nguyen) Brown of Clive, Kirsten (Scott) Radke of Boone, and Arielle Brown of Ann Arbor, Michigan; five grandchildren, Ava Wukitsch, Grant Wukitsch, Cora Nguyen, Iris Nguyen, and Raymond Radke; a sister, Michelle (Kevin) Waggoner of Donnellson, Iowa; two brothers in law, Kevin (Jane) Hedge and Mark (Cindy) Hedge all of rural Fremont; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and a granddaughter, Riley Louise Radke.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in the Fremont Community Church in Fremont with Pastor Kevin Carter officiating.
Burial will be in the Cedar Township Cemetery south of Fremont. The Fremont Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
Visitation will begin Monday after 12 noon in the Fremont Community Church in Fremont and the family will be at the CHURCH from 4-7 Monday evening to greet friends and relatives.
Memorial may be made to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach/Mahaska County
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