Richard J. Brown

Richard J. Brown, 72, died Sunday, January 23, 2011, at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in LaCrosse, WI. Rich was born April 25, 1938, in Mankato, MN, to John and Hedwig (Young) Brown. He served in the U. S. National Guard. Rich married Renee Munson on June 8, 1963, in Winona, MN. Rich retired from St. Mary's University where he worked as a security guard. He was a member of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Rich was active in all kinds of sports and had served as the B-squad Cotter boys basketball coach under John Nett. He loved spending time with his grandchildren and watching them playing sports.Survivors include his wife, Renee; two daughters, Cari (John) Hansen of Rollingstone, MN, and Christi (Dan) Lawing of Flat Rock, NC; six grandchildren, Makala, Christopher and Jacob Hansen, Mitch and Connor Lind, and Ella Lawing; sister, Donna Peplinski of Winona, MN; and brother, John (Janet) Brown of Watertown, MN. He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter, Amy, and sister, Patricia. A Funeral Mass will be offered on Thursday, Jan. 27th, at 11:00am, at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Winona, MN, with the Reverend Thomas Hargesheimer officiating. Interment will take place later this spring in St. Mary's Cemetery in Winona. Visitation will be held at Hoff Funeral and Cremation Service Hansen Goodview Chapel on Wednesday from 4-8:00pm where there will be a Knights of Columbus service at 7:00pm and a Christian Prayer service immediately following. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday.Please share a memory of Rich with his family, sign his online guestbook or view his video tribute when it becomes available online at: www.hofffuneral.com
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/192330