Mary Merle Brown

Mary Merle Brown, 94 of Adams died on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.  Mary was born on May 30, 1929 to Marion and Merle Deardorff. She outlived twin brothers Adrian and Andrew Woods, sister Millie (Woods) Schiller, brother Marion Deardorff, and younger sisters (Vera Deardorff) Sams and Josephine (Deardorff) Smith.

Mary was married to Ira Elden Brown on October 11, 1948. They had 4 children, Elden L. Brown, Vivian L. Hulick, Christine P. Bauknecht, and Patricia E. Paasch. Her husband passed away on October 25, 2010, after 62 years of marriage, and Mary did not remarry.

She lost a daughter-in-law Adelaida Brown, and a son-in-law Donald E. Hulick who she loved dearly and considered them like her own.

When Mary was young she used to work for the Rivoli Theater selling and taking tickets with her sister Vera. She later worked for the phone company and when they moved to Adams, Oregon she worked at the Adams grocery store.
She is survived by her children, Elden L. Brown, Vivian L. Hulick, Christine P. Bauknecht, and Patricia E. Paasch, several grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on October 13, 2023 inside the mausoleum at Olney Cemetery at 3:00 p.m.   A celebration of life will be held afterwards at a location to be later determined.  Burns Mortuary of Pendleton is in charge of funeral arrangements.