Obituary for Gordon Cornelius Brown
Gordon Cornelius Brown peacefully entered into the presence of his Lord & Savior at the Brandon Regional Health Centre on Sunday, January 8, 2023.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 42 years Mary Brown (nee Thiessen); his parents Jacob and Maria Brown; sisters Mary (David) Neufeld, Nettie and Tina Brown (in infancy); brothers Isaac (Catherine) Brown, Jake (Katherine) Braun, Abe (Gertrude) Brown, Frank (Sadie) Brown, Pete (Margaret) Brown, George Brown, Bill Brown, John (Ann) Brown and Norman (Dorothy) Brown.
Gordon is survived by his five children and their families:
son Gerald (Kathy) Brown, granddaughter Lindsay (Daniel) Blair and great grandchildren Trinity, Vaughan, Asher and Darcy, granddaughter Sherri (Jason) Labossiere and great grandchildren Madison, Sadie and Emily, grandson Cody (Karly) Brown and great grandchildren Quinn and Eli;
daughter Marilyn (Gerald) Hiebert, grandson Clayton Hiebert (Solange Viel) and great grandchildren Annabel, Theodore, Kalyx and Kinley, granddaughter Jennifer (Bryce) Morrison and great grandchildren Gemma, Wyatt, Hazel Mae and Hank, granddaughter Lisa (Kevin) Horne and grandchildren Grady and Nash;
daughter Gloria (Brad) Letkeman, grandson Shea (Patti) Letkeman and great grandson Gene;
daughter Eunice (Erwin) Schmidtke, granddaughter Alexandra (Kevin) Pauls and great grandchildren Brooks and Remy, granddaughter Ashley (Brad) Gunn and great grandchildren Shiloh, Hayes and Emery;
daughter Rhonda (Stephen) Derksen, grandson Dawson (Alexandra) Derksen and granddaughter
Samantha Derksen (Cameron Mueller).
He also leaves behind his sister Helen (Wesley) Unrau, sister-in-law Susan (Bill) Brown and many nieces and nephews.
On Mary’s side he leaves behind Helen (Jake) Doerksen, Agatha (Carl) Friesen, Helen Thiessen, Catherine Thiessen and many nieces and nephews.
Gordon was born on March 27, 1937 in Lost River, Saskatchewan. At nine months old, he moved with his family to Austin, Manitoba, where he stayed until he was 16 years old. While in Austin he attended Forrestville School.
Gordon was excited for his first job in “the big city” (Winnipeg) at the Eaton’s catalogue department, followed by jobs at Granite Curling Club, Paul Equipment and Canada Wire & Cable. His biggest transition in his career came after he met his wife, Mary and they began a lifetime of ministry together. Gordon began at Steinbach Bible College, where he grew deep in love for God’s word and sharing it to the world. From there God called them to Pine Falls where they ministered and worked at the lumber yard and in the construction industry at the same time. Their full-time ministry began a short time after that in Leamington Ontario, then Morden, Winnipeg, Brandon, and Austin in Manitoba.
After Gordon’s wife, Mary passed away in 2000 he continued to serve God and lead people to a deeper walk with Jesus while abroad in Belize, Bolivia, Africa, and back at home in Canada. He continued to minister through Canadian Revival Fellowship, online mentoring and counseling, bible studies and many speaking engagements across Canada. Even in the later years at Victoria Landing and Rotary Villa.
Gordon’s life is one of great impact that has influenced the lives of so many people. His faith in God was evident in all he did. His personal relationship with God was the firm foundation on which he lived his life. His deepest desire was for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to have their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Every day he prayed for every one of them. He always knew what was going on in each one of their lives. He made everyone feel loved and valued individually.
While on dialysis, he would ask the nurses how he could pray for them individually. He looked at life through the lens of what he could give as opposed to what he could receive, as his motto in life reflected and was found in Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He strived to rejoice in all circumstances, with focus on others rather than himself. Sharing Jesus everywhere he went.
Gordon made friends easily and had friends all over the world. A lot of his friendships became like family to him. He had friendships from Africa, Belize, Bolivia, Mexico, India, Isreal, Canada and the United States (perhaps even more that we don’t know about). He truly touched lives wherever he went with his contagious humor and laughter, drawing you in to hear more.
In most recent years, he developed a true connection to some of the residents and staff at Rotary Villa, where he led services together with his granddaughter, Lindsay and her husband Daniel Blair and great grandson Darcy. He also made some lasting connections with the staff at the dialysis unit at Brandon Regional Health Centre.
We, as his family, give special thanks to family and friends, the staff at Rotary Villa, his McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church Family, and the many doctors and nurses who have displayed so much care and compassion to our dad over the years.
The Funeral Service will be held at McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church, 635 McDiarmid Drive, Brandon, Manitoba on Monday, January 16, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. Viewing will take place prior to the service. For those not able to attend in person, the service will be webcast on Gordon’s memorial page at www.memorieschapel.com. The reception will be at the church and interment to follow at Austin Cemetery at 4:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Gordon’s memory can be made to the Global Advance Fund at Christian & Missionary Alliance, 2580 Matheson Blvd E, Suite 101, Mississauga, ON L4W 4J1 http://thealliancecanada.ca/give or McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church, 635 McDiarmid Dr, Brandon, MB, R7B 2H6 https://www.mdacbrandon.com/give.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 42 years Mary Brown (nee Thiessen); his parents Jacob and Maria Brown; sisters Mary (David) Neufeld, Nettie and Tina Brown (in infancy); brothers Isaac (Catherine) Brown, Jake (Katherine) Braun, Abe (Gertrude) Brown, Frank (Sadie) Brown, Pete (Margaret) Brown, George Brown, Bill Brown, John (Ann) Brown and Norman (Dorothy) Brown.
Gordon is survived by his five children and their families:
son Gerald (Kathy) Brown, granddaughter Lindsay (Daniel) Blair and great grandchildren Trinity, Vaughan, Asher and Darcy, granddaughter Sherri (Jason) Labossiere and great grandchildren Madison, Sadie and Emily, grandson Cody (Karly) Brown and great grandchildren Quinn and Eli;
daughter Marilyn (Gerald) Hiebert, grandson Clayton Hiebert (Solange Viel) and great grandchildren Annabel, Theodore, Kalyx and Kinley, granddaughter Jennifer (Bryce) Morrison and great grandchildren Gemma, Wyatt, Hazel Mae and Hank, granddaughter Lisa (Kevin) Horne and grandchildren Grady and Nash;
daughter Gloria (Brad) Letkeman, grandson Shea (Patti) Letkeman and great grandson Gene;
daughter Eunice (Erwin) Schmidtke, granddaughter Alexandra (Kevin) Pauls and great grandchildren Brooks and Remy, granddaughter Ashley (Brad) Gunn and great grandchildren Shiloh, Hayes and Emery;
daughter Rhonda (Stephen) Derksen, grandson Dawson (Alexandra) Derksen and granddaughter
Samantha Derksen (Cameron Mueller).
He also leaves behind his sister Helen (Wesley) Unrau, sister-in-law Susan (Bill) Brown and many nieces and nephews.
On Mary’s side he leaves behind Helen (Jake) Doerksen, Agatha (Carl) Friesen, Helen Thiessen, Catherine Thiessen and many nieces and nephews.
Gordon was born on March 27, 1937 in Lost River, Saskatchewan. At nine months old, he moved with his family to Austin, Manitoba, where he stayed until he was 16 years old. While in Austin he attended Forrestville School.
Gordon was excited for his first job in “the big city” (Winnipeg) at the Eaton’s catalogue department, followed by jobs at Granite Curling Club, Paul Equipment and Canada Wire & Cable. His biggest transition in his career came after he met his wife, Mary and they began a lifetime of ministry together. Gordon began at Steinbach Bible College, where he grew deep in love for God’s word and sharing it to the world. From there God called them to Pine Falls where they ministered and worked at the lumber yard and in the construction industry at the same time. Their full-time ministry began a short time after that in Leamington Ontario, then Morden, Winnipeg, Brandon, and Austin in Manitoba.
After Gordon’s wife, Mary passed away in 2000 he continued to serve God and lead people to a deeper walk with Jesus while abroad in Belize, Bolivia, Africa, and back at home in Canada. He continued to minister through Canadian Revival Fellowship, online mentoring and counseling, bible studies and many speaking engagements across Canada. Even in the later years at Victoria Landing and Rotary Villa.
Gordon’s life is one of great impact that has influenced the lives of so many people. His faith in God was evident in all he did. His personal relationship with God was the firm foundation on which he lived his life. His deepest desire was for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to have their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Every day he prayed for every one of them. He always knew what was going on in each one of their lives. He made everyone feel loved and valued individually.
While on dialysis, he would ask the nurses how he could pray for them individually. He looked at life through the lens of what he could give as opposed to what he could receive, as his motto in life reflected and was found in Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He strived to rejoice in all circumstances, with focus on others rather than himself. Sharing Jesus everywhere he went.
Gordon made friends easily and had friends all over the world. A lot of his friendships became like family to him. He had friendships from Africa, Belize, Bolivia, Mexico, India, Isreal, Canada and the United States (perhaps even more that we don’t know about). He truly touched lives wherever he went with his contagious humor and laughter, drawing you in to hear more.
In most recent years, he developed a true connection to some of the residents and staff at Rotary Villa, where he led services together with his granddaughter, Lindsay and her husband Daniel Blair and great grandson Darcy. He also made some lasting connections with the staff at the dialysis unit at Brandon Regional Health Centre.
We, as his family, give special thanks to family and friends, the staff at Rotary Villa, his McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church Family, and the many doctors and nurses who have displayed so much care and compassion to our dad over the years.
The Funeral Service will be held at McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church, 635 McDiarmid Drive, Brandon, Manitoba on Monday, January 16, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. Viewing will take place prior to the service. For those not able to attend in person, the service will be webcast on Gordon’s memorial page at www.memorieschapel.com. The reception will be at the church and interment to follow at Austin Cemetery at 4:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Gordon’s memory can be made to the Global Advance Fund at Christian & Missionary Alliance, 2580 Matheson Blvd E, Suite 101, Mississauga, ON L4W 4J1 http://thealliancecanada.ca/give or McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church, 635 McDiarmid Dr, Brandon, MB, R7B 2H6 https://www.mdacbrandon.com/give.