Mary Lou (Marsh) Brown, 99, of Olney passed away at Carle Richland Memorial Hospital on Thursday, August 9, 2018. There will not be a funeral, but a memorial service will be held at the first United Methodist Church, 335 S. Fair Street, Olney, IL at 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 29, 2018 and a celebration of her life from 3-5 PM on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the Holiday in Olney.

Mary Lou was born on a small farm southwest of Olney November 16, 1918, to John Logan Marsh and Alice Myrtella (Clem) Marsh. She married H. A. “Bud" Brown in St. Louis, Missouri on April 21, 1943. He died December 11, 1995.

She was preceded in death by brothers Clem Wesley Marsh and John L. Marsh, Jr., sisters Elsie Marie Riggings and Hazel Virginia Smith.

Surviving are her children Richard (Patricia) Brown of Edmond, Oklahoma and Pamela Brown (Thomas) Friese of Atwood, Illinois; grandchildren Abby (Tony) Duran of Enid, Oklahoma, Jeff (Jamie) Brown of Meridian, Oklahoma and Matt (Elisabeth) Pilgrim of Placentia, California; and seven great grandchildren, Justin, Blake and Maggie Duran, Ben and Henry Pilgrim, and Garrett and Paige Brown.

Mary Lou attended the Liberty Lawn one room rural school for three years before going to Central School in Olney where she finished 8th grade. She graduated from Olney Township High School and received a Lifetime Elementary Teaching Certificate from Eastern Illinois University in 1940. After teaching Fourth Grade at Central School in Olney for 10 years, Mary Lou took five years off to have her children. She returned in 1955, teaching art at the Junior High School on Main Street in Olney for twenty years. During that time, she took classes at Eastern Illinois University and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970. She also attended numerous Art Extension courses from Eastern Illinois University and the University of Illinois over the years. She exhibited in many local and area art shows and her work hangs in many private homes and area businesses. After retiring in 1975, she taught Art classes for the Continuing Education program at Olney Central College for seven years.

Mary Lou continued to live just southwest of Olney in the country home she and her husband, Bud, purchased in 1949 until early in 2014 when she moved into the Brookstone Estate apartments. She moved one last time in late December 2017 to the Long-Term Care facility in Carle Richland Memorial Hospital.

Mary Lou continued to paint until shortly before her death. She had many of her paintings printed as cards over the years. Some of the cards she sold, many of her cards were given to friends and donated to local organizations including the Olney Public Library and the Richland Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. Mary Lou loved to travel whenever possible. Her trips included visiting places across the United States from California to Washington State, Maine and Florida, Alaska and Hawaii. She was an international traveler as well to countries including England, Ireland, France, Italy, Austria, Greece and Panama.

Mary Lou lived her faith. She loved her family and friends dearly and treasured each individual and relationship. Mary Lou especially loved children and teaching them. She was thoughtful, kind and gentle to all, non-judgmental, and always had a positive attitude. Mary Lou was interested in and curious about almost everything. She loved traveling, writing and receiving cards and letters, visiting, reading, bird watching, hiking, gardening, wiener roasts with the neighbors, and all kinds of flowers, especially daisies. Mary Lou felt very blessed to have lived a long and good life. She told the family she did not want a funeral, but a celebration of life and a party instead. Those who knew Mary Lou enriched her life, and she made an effort to enrich theirs.

Mary Lou was a very deserving 2013 recipient of the Tiger Alumni Center's Life Time Achievement award.

Instead of flowers, Mary Lou would have appreciated donations to any of the following or to a charity of your choice: Olney Public Library, Carle Richland Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, and Swan (for the homeless and for abused women) in Olney.

Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home, Olney obituary & photo - August 22, 2018