Thomas Lee Brown of Yates Center, KS passed away November 21, 2020. He was born in Iowa City, IA of Joseph L Brown and Lydia (Bohr) Brown on July 12, 1951.  He was the middle of three children, Connie Davis, his older sister preceded him in death, her son survives.  His younger sister, Barbara Leavitt, of Iola, KS, survives as does his niece, nephew, various grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins.

His family moved to Yates Center, KS in the late 1960's where his parents ran the Townsman Motel.  He graduated from Yates Center High School in 1969 and joined the United States Army shortly thereafter.  He met Diana Lyn Kress, also of Yates Center, and they married in July 1972. Their daughter Candi Lane Brown (now Katherine Schlem)  was born in 1973. They spent their early marriage in Fort Bragg North Carolina.  They separated in 1976.  Diana passed away in 2002 but their daughter, Katherine, Tom's son-in-law Michael, and his two grandsons Michael Thomas and Christopher Ward survive.

In the Interim years, Tom spent time serving in Germany and Alaska in the military, eventually transitioning to the National Guard.  He also served as a peace officer in Katy Texas and sold insurance in Chicago Illinois.  He met his second wife, Mary, in the early 1980's.  Their marriage didn't last long and they divorced soon thereafter.

In 1985 he married Patricia Woodard of Wichita, KS.  Out of that relationship a daughter, Constance Annette Brown (now Constance Shouse) was born in 1989.  They divorced in the 2000's. Constance, a Wichita resident, survives as does her three children, Sophia Elisabeth, Robert David Victor, and Vash Alexander.

Tom was always know for being sharp of tongue and witty, his clever repartee was always laced with humor. His favorite phrase was that he felt comfortable being "rude, crude and socially unacceptable." Though situations may have prevented him from being always present in his daughter's lives, he loved them fiercely.  Health problems later in life prevented him from being the type of grandfather he really wanted to be and his one wish was to hang on long enough to see his grandchildren all graduate from high school.

Though his physical presence is gone from us now, Tom will live on in the spirit of his daughters, grandsons, and granddaughter and will be missed by so many in the Yates Center community.

Cremation will be effected and inurnment will be in the Yates Center Cemetery.  Those plans as well as a memorial service will be planned at a future date when gatherings can be deemed safe for attendees and less risky for high risk individuals.  In lieu of flowers we would prefer you make a donation to the highly regarded veterans project, WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT

Donations made in honor of a loved one are always welcome. If you wish to make a memorial or honorary donation online, please use our online form . If you wish to mail in your memorial or honorary donation, please be sure to download and fill out a donation form to include with your check or credit card information.

When making a memorial donation to WWP, please make your check payable to Wounded Warrior Project ^® (WWP). If posting our address for an obituary requesting donations be sent to WWP in lieu of flowers, please use the following contact information:

Wounded Warrior Project
PO BOX 758516
Topeka, KS 66675

https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=10043&ovr_acv_id=2703

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