BROWN, Opal Jean

Opal Jean Brown, 83 years of age from Omaha, formerly of Minden, NE passed away on August 23rd, 2011 in Omaha, NE after a lengthy illness of Alzheimer's disease. Opal was born in Almena Kansas on March 11th 1928 to Curtis and Rosella (Colip) Sprague. She lived there with her 7 siblings until moving to a farm near Edison NE. She worked as a telephone operator in Holdrege as a young woman. On December 26, 1965 married Lucius Brown of Minden NE where she lived and worked as a farm wife. Lucius passed away in a farm accident in 1981 and Opal remained on the farm with her children Lucius, Tim and Jill. She worked at the Bethany Home in the kitchen from 1984-1996. Opal loved to crochet and garden. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Minden. In 2006 she moved to Omaha Nebraska Survivors include her children Lucius Brown and wife Pam of Crafton, NE, Tim Brown of Omaha, Jill Brown and husband Jim Sorrell of Omaha and her granddaughters, Bailey and Alyssa Brown, Emily Braun, Kate, Madeline, Chloe and Naala Sorrell; brothers her brothers Leroy Sprague and his wife, Joan of Redding, CA and Harry Sprague and his wife, Phoebe of Red Cloud, NE and sister Elda Becker of Palestine, TX. She is preceded in death by her husband, Lucius, brothers Duane Sprague, Berle Sprague, Paul Sprague and sister Ora Wagner. Graveside services will be on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at the White Hill Cemetery north of Minden at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Richard Bacon officiating. Visitation will be at the Layton-Craig Funeral Home in Minden on Friday from 5 - 7 p.m.