Maxine J. Brown

MAXINE JEAN BROWN was born on October 15, 1928 in Warner, Alberta, Canada to Harry and Minnie Leffingwell. She was raised in nearby Lethbridge, Alberta. Her father served with the United States in WWI and when he moved to Canada, he served in WWII. As a result of her father’s service, Maxine needed to leave school so she could get a job and help contribute to her family’s finances. As a young adult, she moved to the nearby town of Bellingham, Washington where she met Lloyd Needham. Their marriage was short but they were blessed with a daughter, Cally Joy. Maxine was a talented seamstress and took a job at Singer Sewing Company where she taught sewing. On June 7, 1963, Maxine married Robert Brown. The couple moved to San Francisco, California in 1966 where Maxine continued her work with the Singer Sewing Company. She also worked in cosmetic sales. During those years is when Maxine and Robert welcomed another blessing with Anastasia. In 1969, the couple moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where Maxine was a homemaker for a number of years. They purchased Genelli Studio in Sioux City, Iowa in 1977. The couple returned to Minneapolis in 1980 and Maxine began a successful career in furniture sales. She was employed at JCPenny’s, Donaldson’s and then Carson Perry Scott for a number of years. She won a number of awards for her sales and retired in 1996. In 2006, they moved to Brandon, South Dakota to be near their family. Maxine was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and in August of 2017 made the move to the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills, Minnesota where she died peacefully on Friday, April 17, 2020 at the age of 91 years, 6 months and 2 days.

Maxine enjoyed traveling and gardening. She loved animals and had an extensive collection of dolls and coins. Maxine was very kind to everyone. Her family is grateful for her gift of always being a good communicator and just a wonderful woman.

Maxine is survived by her husband, Robert of Luverne; children, Cally (Jan) Viereck of Brandon, South Dakota and Anastasia Brown also of Brandon; granddaughter, Shannon (Chris) Risnes of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and great-granddaughter, Mackenzie Risnes of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She was preceded in death by her siblings, Vivian (William) Kutcheran, Lois (Howard) Fleming, Frank “Sonny” Leffingwell; and her sons-in-law, Michael Groteke and Richard Johnson.