DONNA V. BROWN

Donna V. Brown passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in her home on Thursday morning, March 12, 2020, at age 91.

Born in Buhl, Minnesota on February 21, 1929, to Frederick and Anna Mae Peterson, Donna Val spent her youth in nearby Virginia, Minnesota. She ventured west at the end of World War II to attend the University of New Mexico where she met her future husband, C.L. (Lee) Brown.

After marrying in October 1951, Donna and Lee lived in El Paso, Texas, where their first child, Leslie, was born. The small family then moved to Santa Fe in 1953, where they began knitting their lives into the fabric of the community. In the midst of building a business, raising a growing family, and volunteering across all avenues of need in New Mexico, both Donna and Lee became Santa Fe treasures.

Donna selflessly and graciously dedicated her life to others. The ultimate mother and grandmother, she also worked tirelessly to benefit and support the special-needs community in Santa Fe (and all of New Mexico), especially her son, Peter. She was a second mother to some and a ’bonus’ grandmother to many more. Her smile was a permanent feature, and she touched immeasurable lives with her heart and immense warmth.

Donna will be forever cherished by her husband of seventy years, Lee Brown; daughter Leslie and Nat Shipman (Lauren, Karen and Sawyer); son-in-law Joth Davis (Justin, Hannah and Caleb); son Mark and Lisa Ronningen (Wyatt, Shay and Sam); son Merritt and Ann Bodelson (Hallie, Olin, Sophie, Soren, and Greta) and son Peter; great-grandchildren Vail and James Choumas; sons and daughters-in-law Jonathan Choumas, Nero Davis, Isabel Davis, Sam Garfield, and Casey Ferber; her brother Brock Peterson and family. She was preceded in death by her daughterin-law Randee Ebel Brown, her grandson Jensen Brown, and her beloved daughter Karen Brown Davis.

A private memorial is being planned.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in the name of Donna Brown to the Jensen Merritt Brown Fund at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1827, Santa Fe, NM, 87504-1827.