Wilbert Brown

Wilbert (Will) Brown left this life on earth to be with his Lord for eternity on April 8, 2024 in Hayden, Idaho.

Will was welcomed into this life on Sept. 8, 1945 by his parents Hubert and Esther Brown of Haxtun. Will's first home was a 600 square foot two room farm house east of Haxtun.

Will was the oldest of three boys. He was joined on the family farm by brothers, LaVern in 1948 and Milton in 1955. The family moved into a new home their father built while not farming. Growing up on the family farm gave Will a great work ethic and a love for anything mechanical.

Will was baptized and confirmed in the Immanuel Lutheran Church. He attended the Haxtun school system and graduated with the Class of 1963.

At the age of 17, Will enlisted in the Navy. While in the United States Navy he was stationed in many locations including Memphis, Tennessee, Midway Island and finally Alameda Navel Air Station. In 1965 he completed his training as an aircraft mechanic. While completing his training he met his future wife, Nona and her daughter Tamara (Tammy). As Tammys step-father he did everything for her. The role he played was bigger than the wonderful things he did for others. Giving 100 percent of his love as her father. Spending the next 57 years in their love. During their time together Nona and Will were blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, Kelley Villa who was her Papa's little girl even after 30 years and Stephen Villa who was a partner in the love of mechanics. Will looked forward to their many visits to Idaho. Winters in the snow, summers bike riding the Hiawatha Trail. Will always planned something special for his grandchildren like a trip planned to Mt. Rushmore, Devils Mountain and the Grand Coulee Dam.

Will took great pleasure in his extended family. Christopher, son of brother Vern and Nancy Brown won Will's heart at an early age and Chris enlisted him in filming his activities and becoming an umpire for his baseball games. To Sharnay, daughter of Milton and Nancy Brown he became a second father while she was attending college in Moscow, Idaho. Will tracked many swimming events of Keaton Browns, son of Milton and Nancy, from the time he was a young boy through college.

After the Navy he worked a variety of jobs until settling on his future career with Matson Industries in the Port of Oakland, Calif. as a master crane mechanic. Will's boss said he could always find a way to fix anything.\ He was greatly respected in his field.

After his retirement from Matson Will and Nona moved to Hayden Idaho and built a life of his dreams including a home he and Nona designed. Retirement meant 20 acres of green trees. After the construction of their home, Will spent his retirement days building barns, restoring tractors, using his new John Deere and planning another hunting trip with his hunting companion and friend of 50 years, Ed Gilmore. Will loved every day, feeding the deer, birds and any animal who wandered onto his property. Maybe not loving shoveling the 18 inches of snow that might fall over night or shooing a pesky bear.

Wilbert leaves behind wife Nona: daughter Tammy Villa and husband Chip; granddaughter Kelley Villa; grandson Stephen Villa; brothers LaVern Brown and wife Nancy and Milton Brown and wife Nancy; niece Sharney Wegar and husband Travis and son Grayson; nephew Keaton Brown and wife Annie; and many loving cousins and friends in California, Idaho and Colorado. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Will is preceded in death by his parents Hubert and Esther Brown; aunt and uncle Clemens and Beulah Einsphar and nephew Christopher Brown.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, June 15 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Haxtun at 10:30 a.m. Inurnment will be at the Haxtun Cemetery. A luncheon will follow at the church.