Florence Louise Brown

Florence Louise Brown (nee Ward), 90, of Vermilion, died Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at Ames Family Hospice, Westlake after a lengthy illness. She was born June 13, 1926 in Columbus, and had been a Vermilion resident since 1962 moving to Manlius, NY for 19 years, returning to Vermilion in retirement. Florence graduated from John Marshall High School and attended The Ohio State University. She worked at Firelands Floors, Vermilion and had also assisted her husband with their lighting systems business. Florence was a member of the Vermilion United Church of Christ Congregational and a past member of the Christ's Episcopal Church, Huron. She had also been a member of the Red Hats Society and Bridge Club. She enjoyed gardening, quilting, gourmet cooking, and volunteering at South Street School with the reading program, teaching first graders how to read. She also enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is survived by her daughters, Lisa (Bob) Weber of Indianapolis, IN and Janet (Mark) Bury of Middleburg Heights; sons, Douglas (Sue) Brown of Vermilion and Bob Brown of Bay Village; 6 grandchildren: Sara (Chad) Browning, Laura (Craig) Engledow, Ben (Ali) Bury, Lauren Bury, and Emily (Marko Mijailovic) and Bridget Brown; and her great grandchildren, Jude and Taylor Browning and Claire Engledow. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert M. Brown in 2011; parents, James and Louise (nee Zurhorst) Ward; and her brother, Dr. James C. Ward. The family will receive friends on Thursday, June 22, 2017 from 11:00 am until the time of a memorial service at 1:00 pm at the United Church of Christ Congregational, 990 State Route 60, Vermilion. The Reverend David Zerby will officiate. Inurnment will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery, Vermilion. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Ritter Public Library Endowment Fund, 5680 Liberty Ave, Vermilion, OH 44089 or the Vermilion Education Foundation, P.O. Box 556, Vermilion, OH 44089. . Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com.