Carolyn Joan "Jo" Brown

Our stoic mom, Carolyn Joan “Jo” Brown, age 98, died August 12, 2026 after a fall on July 30. She would have been 99 twelve days later. She was born in Ness City, Kansas on August 24,1927 to Clinton Henry and Julia May (Vandegrift) Queen, the third of five children.

In 1937 the Queen family moved to Boise where they set down long term roots in the east end. She received her education at Roosevelt Elementary, North Jr. High, and Boise High School, graduating in 1946. Her first job was working concessions at the infamous Boise Train Depot that sits above Capital Blvd. Our dad, Kenneth Howard Brown, served in the Army Air Corps during WWII from 1943-46 and was stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base for a portion of his service. It was at the Grenada Movie Theater in Boise where mom first met her handsome future husband. He walked her home that night, then the next night she invited him over for a family meal. Love was born, and they dated for about a year before his discharge from Fort Lewis, Washington. He then returned to Boise with a ring and a proposal. They married on both of their birthdays — August 24. It was dad that fondly nicknamed her “Jo”. He was 21 and mom 19. They married at her parent’s home at 518 Walnut Street where sadly the photographer realized too late that he had no film in his camera! All hail the digital age!

Dad asked if she’d like to meet his parents, she said yes, so they packed the car and drove three days to Ellwood City, PA where they settled and called it home. It was here that us three girls were born — Linda in ’49, Julie in ’51, and Mary in ‘54. Dad, with only an 8th grade education (because he had to help on the family horse farm), built our house on “Brown Road,” named after his folks, Ira and Lottie Brown. Many other uncles had houses on the road as well. It was a paradise of wide open spaces, catching crayfish in the streams, large family corn roasts, horse shows at Grandpa Brown’s and so much more. Mom said many times his family just welcomed her with open arms and were the best family to her. Even so, homesickness settled in and dad brought her back home to Boise in 1963 where they purchased a two story coal-fueled home across from North Jr. High at 1024 N.13th. During this time mom began working for Sears selling women’s clothing and dad working early shifts at The Veteran’s Hospital as a cook in the kitchen. They lived there thru Mary’s senior year of high school in 1972. From there they moved to an old house in the North End, 901 N. 19th, and dad remodeled it into a beautiful space. He was an amazing carpenter and could do anything and Mom was always supportive, never objecting to anything he wanted to tackle.. It was at this time that Linda’s kids were born and we had every Sunday gatherings at the house.

Our wonderful dad died much too young at the age of 55 on February 3, 1981 from lung cancer, and mom cared for him the last months at home, a selfless act. She was always so strong our mom. More grandkids came along and she loved having them around and babysitting. She housed some of us kids when looking for new houses, grandkids grew and married, and mom continued to sew making anything and everything. She was quite talented … and thrifty. She visited Julie (and later Megan/Rob) in Hawaii, took a few cruises, and continued with Sears until 1996, retiring after 33 years. She made many lifelong friendships there, all who have passed before her except one — her friend Betty Scarborough. They maintained their friendship and saw each other up until mom passed. Mom always had a small “carbon footprint,” never wanting what money could buy, always content in the little things and in the old things.

Years after retirement she took her mom into her home and cared for her during her last 4 years of life. Grandma Julia Queen was 99 when she passed. At 80, mom moved into her last home at 5512 W Hallmark, just 100 steps from Linda where she would live the next 17 years independently. She attended Boise State basketball games for many years with Linda and Buster, and made teddy bears for the Police drive. She always gardened, raked leaves, and cleaned out gutters on a ladder into her 90’s — as well as driving her Chrysler into her 90’s. She was insistent on doing things for herself. She baked pies, cookies and biscotti continuously, never going to a dinner or party without taking something. She would find recipes in the Statesman, give them a trial run, or tell us girls to make them. She always told any of the married girls in the family that we needed to cook more for our men, to bake them pies, and to make gravy. I’m not sure we listened. Ok we didn’t listen. She started entering quilts at the Fair in her 80’s and early 90’s, winning many ribbons and one Best of Show.

She loved her 13 great-grandkids and would spoil them with junk food, or a sleepover, lemonade or soda. She made everyone quilts, but each of the Greats received a special “Pandemic Quilt” made of flannel scraps when she couldn’t get out to buy fabric due to Covid. She gave the kids cash and everyone tea towels for birthdays and Christmases. She lived independently until a serious illness took her down in May, 2024. To our surprise she came home and voiced the unimaginable — maybe it was time to move so as to not be a burden on her family. Naturally the next day she tried to renege but we walked her thru it, and in August 2024, only days before her 97th birthday, she moved to Paramount Parks of Eagle Assisted Living. It didn’t take long for her to start making friends and influencing people. We saw a softer and kinder mom after her move. She was surrounded by constant visits from family members … even to the point that many thought some of us also lived there! Cole loved that he got to be old enough to walk up to her place many days after school since it was at the bottom of the hill, and of course he and the other greats would eat their weight in chocolate on their visits. Her caregivers loved on her like no other and she soon called Paramount “my home.” She gave gifts of tea towels to staff, residents, family, and family friends on birthdays or “just because.” Megan was eventually honored the duty of ironing on the patterns, mom’s love gift to all. That first year between August and December she stitched 100 tea-towels, more in 2025. She was still the same independent mom she had always been but her social circle increased. She loved her table-mates, and she watched out for others less mobile than herself. On their daily walks, she was always at the front of the pack of strollers. She once saw someone fall on a walk and in her words, “I ran to get help” and she no doubt did. She participated in concerts — Rod Gallegos singing country always being her favorite. She would sometimes call out “play a little Johnny Cash!” — the music our family grew up on. She started playing BINGO, attended a few other activity room events, but was more content sitting in her room with her “open door policy” as the nosey neighbor to see their comings and goings, ready for a quick chat or a wave, always with a tea towel in her lap or a good book — cowboy books and murder mysteries her favorite. She loved Fox News, BBQ, diet Pepsi, mandarin oranges, and a little known secret, Tyler Perry Madea movies. She finished her last octagon quilt last fall, stitching the top by hand and gifting it to her youngest great-g-babe, Lola, just two years old. Mom loved babies! When us girls would stop by, she would say “well there you are” and was always interested in our lives and families, and when she was tired of us, she would say it was time for us to go.

The hospital staff after her fall fell in love with her and checked on her constantly. “When assessing her injuries they would ask “can you do this for me Jo?,” to which she would say “sure, I can do anything you want me to.” Even if she couldn’t, she sure wanted them to know she would try. So stoic and strong. Always “I’m fine.” Her homecoming was a happy heart moment as residents, caregivers, and family came to welcome her home. Of course we put her bed in the living room so she could still be the nosey neighbor, waving from the door, or allowing them in for a quick hug or chat. She loved her life on earth, but it’s no secret or surprise to anyone that she had been ready to go for a long time. To be honest, she really didn’t want a 99 or 100th birthday. She wasn’t an outwardly religious woman but the life she led would imply it. I think she liked listening to me talk of Jesus more than she let on, and I trust God spoke to her often and of course He knew her heart. She was His creation and He loved her.

I asked the family what descriptive words they might use to describe mom. Here’s only a few — many of them repeated multiple times by different family members. But truly, how can one put into words a full life well lived of almost 99 years? But for our amazing “Granny Jo Jo” we’ll give it our best: Spunky, reserved (until she wasn’t), proud, nurturing, dedicated, selfless, ornery, sassy, funny, loving, spirited, crafty, active, family-oriented, a proud great-grandma, consistent, talented, strong-minded, stoic, determined, giving, kind, stubborn, honest, invested, dry humored, a bit opinionated, soft sweet eyes, huggable, sociable, very generous, a treasure, one-of-a-kind (we heard that often from others), caring, a bit of a diva and exaggerator, not always truthful, strong, and most of all … irreplaceable.

We love you mom. “I know you do.”

Written by Mary, August 20, 2026

Linda and Buster Farris: Daughter Nicole and husband Justin, daughters and twins, Emma and Eva (24) Barker;

Son Kirk and wife Amy and children Charlie (17) and Mae (15) Farris

Julie and Dale Rhodes: Son Aaron and sons Aiden Foreman (16), and twins Kenny and Kash (13) Rhodes;

Son Alex and wife Danielle and daughter Lola James Rhodes (2).

Mary and Mike Mouser: Daughter Megan and husband Rob, daughters Sydney (16) and Simone (14), and son Cole (11) Gerichs; Son Matt and wife Danielle and sons MJ (16) and Jayden (14) Mouser

Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.