Gertrude Lorraine (Reed) Brown, 79

Gertrude Lorraine (Reed) Brown, 79, passed away in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Dec. 24, 2007.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007, in Coffelt's Funeral Chapel. Pastor Jon Pomeroy, First Church of God, will officiate. Friends may call to pay their respects, on Saturday, from 9 a.m. until service time. Inurnment will be later in the Westmond Cemetery.

Gertrude was born on Aug. 3, 1928, the daughter of Kenneth and Nina (Taylor) Reed, in Sagle, Idaho. She grew up in Sagle and graduated from the old Sandpoint High School, on Euclid, in 1946.

She married and moved to St. Louis, Mo., to begin her family. She was a switchboard operator and secretary at Vi Jon Laboratory in St. Louis. She had five children and helped take care of her grandmother-in-law for many years, making many trips back to Idaho to visit family.

She moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., in December 1968 and, in 1970, her son Steven died in a car accident. In June 1971 she moved to Arcadia Valley Bible Camp in Ironton, Mo., to help deal with the tragedy. In December 1971 she returned to Sandpoint and worked at the Sandpoint Manor for two years. On Feb. 16, 1974, she married Thomas C. Brown Jr. in Spokane, Wash., where they made their home. She ran the Village Inn kitchen and began selling Tupperware.

In 1976 she moved to Guam for four years and was the Tupperware manager there. She was number one in sales, in the United States for three years in a row. In 1980 she returned to Spokane and Sandpoint, becoming a certified nursing assistant.

Gertrude enjoyed the young and the old; she loved her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She like to embroidery, do plastic canvas, and other types of needlework.

She was a member of the First Church of God, the American Legion Auxiliary, the VFW Auxiliary, and a past president of the Eagles Auxiliary.

She is survived by her husband Tom (T.C.) Brown of Sagle, Idaho; her brother John K. Reed of Sandpoint, Idaho; her daughters Marietta (Don) Bone of Fredericktown, Mo., and Pam (Steve) Fox of Ponderay, Idaho; her sonm Mark Potter of Boise, Idaho; four stepchildren, Kevin, Kelley, and Chris Brown of Nevada, and Tommy Brown of Oregon; and grandchildren Julie Britton, Tim (Jenny) Fox, Jamie (Kimberly) Britton, Joel (Kim) Britton, Lori (Keith) Marter, Lori (Jeff) Stensland. Kelly King, Lorisa Potter, Jessica Potter, Samantha Potter, Audra Potter, Paul Johanson, Wayne (Celeste) Fox, and Dave (Julie) Fox. Also surviving are 18 great-grandchildren (with two more on the way); three sisters-in-law, Claudia, Pat, and Eunice, other relatives and many many friends.

Her parents, her in-laws, a brother, a sister, two sons, two great-grandchildren, and a brother-in-law preceded her in death.

Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association. 1528 Vista Ave. Boise, ID; 83705; The First Church of God, 221 So. Division, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864; or the Kidney Dialysis Fund, c/o BGH, PO Box 1448, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Family and friends are invited to visit Gertrudes' Web site, and sign her guestbook, at www.coffeltfuneral.com.

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.