She attended Kenesaw Public School K-12 and graduated from there in 1974. She attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied journalism and English, earning a BS degree. She worked as an editor at the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper in Burlington, IA, and then a reporter and later city editor at the Fremont Tribune in Fremont, NE. As a reporter, she wrote her share of obituaries. She joined her sister in business at On the Double, a business services company, in College Station, Texas before returning to study journalism and earn her MS from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 1985 she became a communications specialist in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agricultural Communications in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, where she edited Extension publications and worked on other writing projects. She coordinated and edited the Nebraska Extension newsletter, CropWatch, for almost 30 years, enjoying getting to work with communicators and agricultural specialists and educators from across the state. Her best and most joyous times were those spent with her husband and children and their new families. A member of First Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, she served as an elder, deacon, and member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and contributed to the work of many committees in the church.
She is survived by her husband, Paul John, daughter, Katie (Philip) Styrt and granddaughter, Helen, of Davenport, Iowa; son, John Jasa and his wife, Kate Weskamp of Boulder, Colo.; sister, Ginny (Clint) Machann of College Station; brother, Gerry (Karen) Brown of Elkhorn; nieces, Shelly (Shawn) Gallagher of Kenesaw; Alena (Kirsten) Horn of St. Louis, MO; Tessie (Tim) of Princeton, N.J., Sarah (John) Piel of Lincoln; brothers-in-law, Tim (Sally) Jasa of Lyons, Chris (Brenda) Jasa, of Bradshaw, Doug Jasa and friend Julie Orwell of Kansas City, MO. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gerald Edward and Bettie Norrine Brown, and one brother, Tom Brown.
Because of COVID-19 concerns, the celebration of her life was delayed until now, Saturday, June 25, at 11:00 a.m. at Lincoln’s First Presbyterian Church (17th & F, face masks encouraged) with a lunch afterwards.
The service will be livestreamed on the First Presbyterian Church’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/fpclincoln). Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Foundation or to the American Cancer Society.
Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Foundation or to the Lincoln Office of the American Cancer Society.