Nita Brown

Nita Brown

Iowa City

Nita Brown, 99, passed away peacefully on September 3, 2024, at Briarwood Healthcare Center in Iowa City, Iowa.

Born on November 30, 1924, in Yakima, Washington, to Ernest and Lillian (Nelson) Huff, Nita grew up in Fruita, Colorado. She later married John E. Brown in Northwood, Iowa, and together they raised two sons and lived across the United States, settling in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids for the later years of their lives.

Nita was a force of nature who left an indelible mark on all who knew her. She was formidable, with an unyielding spirit, never afraid to speak her mind. She was also generous and affectionate, often extending to others an exquisitely chosen gift or a meaningful act of kindness. Her zest for life and easy laugh made those in her presence feel heard and appreciated.

Nita’s enthusiasm for places and experiences was infectious. She had a strong work ethic and expected the same of everyone who worked at her women’s clothing store in Dubuque, and later as the corporate credit director for more than 200 women’s clothing stores. Above all else, Nita cherished her beloved husband, John, to whom she was married for more than 60 years.

Survivors include her sons, Richard (Polly) Brown of Highland Village, Texas, and Robert Brown of Hidden Valley Lake, California; three grandchildren, Jennifer (Neal) Anderson, Jacob Brown, Micah (Ashley) Brown; and three great-grandchildren, Penelope Anderson, Otto Anderson, and Storm Cofield.

Nita was preceded in death by her parents, husband John, sister Fawn, niece Judy, and grandson Alex.

She will be greatly missed by her family and her friends, including Marianne and Larry Holton, Denise Price, Denny and Marilyn Fleer, Rae Kaiser, Terry Whitson, and the Schwers family.

We would like to thank the wonderful staff at Briarwood Healthcare for the excellent care and love they gave Nita, sharing many laughs with her and including her in special events.

Nita donated her body to the University of Iowa Deeded Body Program at the Carver College of Medicine. She will be interred at a later date next to her husband John in the Rock Island National Cemetery in Rock Island, Illinois.

Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.