James William Brown

James William Brown

Osceola - There will be a Celebration of Life for Jim Brown on Saturday, May 12th, at 2:00 p.m., at the Osceola United Methodist Church, 130 W. Grant Street.

Jim Brown of Osceola died Tuesday, April 3rd, from cancer at age 87. He enjoyed spending time with his wife and family, RAGBRAI, reading, fly fishing, golf, lunches with the "geezer bunch", ice cream, cookies, and walking his dog, Emma.

Jim had been married to Beth (Taylor) Brown since 1957, renewing their vows in 2012. They have four children: Jeff Brown (Diane) of Lincoln NE, Julie Kemp of Conway AR, Mary Brown of Des Moines IA, and Susan Pritchard (Ed) of Houston TX; five grandchildren: Jason Kemp of Branson MO, Jennifer Strait of Benton KY, Amy Pritchard of Houston TX, Daniel Brown (Karissa) of Lincoln NE, and Alyssa Brown of Memphis TN; and six great-grandchildren. Jim had one brother, Richard Brown of Denver, who died in 2016.

Born in Des Moines to Lyle and Julia Brown, Jim was a graduate of Roosevelt High School, earned a B.A. from Grinnell College in 1952, and, after serving as a pilot in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, graduated from the Drake University Law School in 1959. During his teenage and college years, Jim competed as a diver and racing sail boats on Iowa lakes. He moved with his family to Osceola in 1966, where he practiced law as a partner at Reynoldson, Brown & Van Werden, before starting his own practice. In 1979, Jim was appointed a Judge of the Iowa District Court by then-governor Robert Ray, where he served until 2002, when he was appointed a Senior Judge on the Appellate Court until 2008. At the time of his death, Jim was Of Counsel with the Osceola firm Reynoldson & Van Werden.

A memorial service will be held at the Osceola United Methodist Church in the coming weeks, the date to be announced later. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Osceola Public Library, Iowa Public Radio, or Friends of Clarke County Conservation.