Paulette Rae Brown

Paulette Rae (Hess) Brown

July 31, 1949 - March 14, 2023

HELENA - Paulette Rae (Hess) Brown, age 73, passed away peacefully on March 14, 2023, at her residence in Helena of natural causes. Paulette was born July 31, 1949, in Helena, MT. She was the youngest child of her father, Raymond J. Hess and mother, Elfrieda Dorthea (Gussner) Hess.

In 1942, Paulette's family relocated from Mandan, ND, to Helena. Paulette was born and raised in Helena, where she attended local schools and graduated from Helena High School in 1967. She participated in the choir, dance, and theater programs and developed a great love for the performing arts.

In August of 1971, Paulette married Richard D. Brown, a native of Helena, after he returned from service in the Marine Corps in Vietnam. She had one son, Richard R. Brown.

Paulette pursued a career with the Montana Child Support Division. After she retired, she spent time socializing with her many friends and volunteering as a devout Catholic at the Cathedral of St. Helena.

Paulette shared a fondness for board games, always trying to get someone to play a game of Parcheesi or cards. She was also an avid fan of horror movies, which she passed on to her son and his daughters, Ani and Trinity Brown.

Paulette was a devoted animal lover responsible for raising many generations of cats, including the last two, the feisty Irish brothers' Murphy and Muldoon.

Paulette was preceded in death by her mother and father; her husband, Richard D. Brown; her brother, Don and his wife, Lilly; her brother, Allen and his wife, Barbara; sisters: Ione, Arlene, and Bernice; and her brother, Walter, who passed shortly after his birth.

Paulette suffered a devastating loss with the passing of each of her siblings; however, she is now reunited with her entire family, including her loving grandson Hunter Brown, who died of cancer at age four and is now adoringly embracing his grandmother.

Paulette is survived by her son, Richard R. Brown of Wyoming; her granddaughters: Trinity Brown, Ani Brown, Shanae Brown, and Kyra Stransky; great-grandsons, Noah Brown, and Kohen Stransky.

Cremation has taken place and services will be held at a later date.

Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Paulette.

"All the darkness in the World cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." St. Francis of Assisi.