Linda Marlene Brown

With profound sadness and the heaviest of hearts, we share that our beloved mother and grandmother, Linda Marlene Brown, left this world on November 9, 2025. She leaves behind a legacy of love cherished by her beloved daughter, Lynn Chalfant, granddaughters, Kelly, Kayla and Kelsey, and partner of 33 years, Rick Faigle. She is the dear sister of Leonard (Dora), Rhonda, Ardena, and Colleen. We fervently prayed and wished that we could keep her here with us forever and we will miss her terribly in all our years to come.

Our Grandma Brown was one of a kind: beautiful, spicy, independent, funny, generous, resilient, stalwart, meticulous, clever, savvy, resourceful, dramatic, determined, and dependable. There was a time in her life when she wasn’t just the life of the party — she was the party. She had a big personality and was never shy about showing her feelings. No matter what was happening, she always showed up — for her family, her friends, and anyone who needed her. Throughout our lives, we depended on her being there, cheering us on, always just a phone call away. She was that one constant person who was in our corner, no matter what, and we always knew she was on our team.

Our girl was built different — she never lost her edge. That’s the part of what makes this loss so difficult: we never imagined a day without her. Her incredible work ethic and determination were qualities she passed down to us girls. Born into a family of fourteen children, she learned early that any aspiration she held dear would be realized only through her own determination and resolve. And did she persevere! She taught us that life held endless possibilities if we were willing to work hard and believe in ourselves. She was so proud of the women we became — and we know that pride came from seeing a bit of her strength, courage, and spirit reflected in each of us. The saying “she walked so we could run” truly feels like how she lived her life — paving the way for us, sacrificing, and always doing her best to make sure we had every opportunity. There are so many things we will miss about Grandma Brown (Mom). We’ll miss sitting at her kitchen table eating red noodles with her, having coffee or tea while gossiping about all the things, and our Christmases that she spent countless time preparing for — months of shopping, baking, decorating, and making everything perfect. We’ll miss walking into her meticulous house on Christmas Eve and finding new booties to wear (no shoes in the house!), the way she flipped through her catalogs, her love for browsing the aisles at Walgreens, going for rides looking for deer, and so many other things that we will cherish in our memories forever. She adored her home on Holman Street. That house was her sanctuary and it’s where her most precious and dearest memories reside. It was the first place Rick and her found together as a couple and cemented their life-long partnership. She LOVED taking care of her home and her yard. In the backyard, her and Rick cultivated the most beautiful and delicious tomatoes and peppers that they would pick and place on the shelf above their sink, where the small window would shed light and keep them fresh. Though tiny but mighty, in that backyard we played with the hose and would have our hair washed with V05 until we were too old to do so. They set up an inflatable pool for us to enjoy the day and each other and one year she and Rick even created a camp out to watch the Halloween movie being shown in Linden Grove Cemetery. They took immense pride in their front yard and spent many hours on the front porch glider – finding entertainment in the Covington shenanigans and engaging with neighbors (most times probably apprehensively). A common bond they shared was their love for perfection and beautification, which was exemplified in their front yard garden. Her granddaughters found immense joy in the white bell flowers that blossomed along the fence for many years along with all the other adorations that they took the time and care to grow. She also planted plastic forks pronged side up to send a strong and painful warning to the neighborhood cats that they were not welcome in her yard or flower bed (a power move that we wholeheartedly supported and found great amusement in). That flower bed is also the spot that she hilariously decorated with a plaster mold of Rick’s foot once he was fitted for customized orthopedic inserts, that we laughed about on end.

Us girls would like to thank Rick — the most constant person in her life. Endless doctor visits, hours spent at the hospital, and every moment in between… the care you gave her was unconditional and unwavering. One of her last wishes was to make sure that you were cared for the same way you cared for her. Rick, we love you and appreciate you more than you know. Most of all, we will miss her and the intensity in which she loved us — deeply, fiercely, and without hesitation.

Grandma Brown is preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Nellie Brown, and her siblings Jessie, Terry, Jerradale, Bonnie, Beverly, Eugene, Kirk, Sonny, and Donnie.

A celebration of her life will take place on Dec. 6, and family will share details soon. We invite all who loved her to join us in sharing stories, laughter, and tears as we honor the extraordinary woman she was.