1954
Dr. Barbara
2016
Dr. Barbara Colleen Brown
October 30, 1954 — May 5, 2016
She was born to the late J. W. and Colleen L. (nee: Cox) Leavitt on October 30, 1954 in Red Bud, Illinois.
She married Richard A. Brown on August 14, 1976 in Ellis Grove, Illinois. He survives.
Barbara was a former Clerk of Courts for Randolph County (2000-2012). She earned her PhD from Southern Illinois University in 1985 and continued to teach in the department of political science for over thirty years. During many of those years, she taught American government and democracy classes to international students through a summer program funded by the U.S. State Department. She published widely in her field and established herself as an important figure in local, state, and national electoral politics. Barbara was a co-founder and former president of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, vice-chair for the Democratic Party of Illinois, co-founder and president of Southwestern Illinois Democratic Women, founder and president of Southern Illinois Democratic Women, Precinct Committeewoman and former chairwoman of the Randolph County Democratic Central Committee, and treasurer for the Pierre Menard Democrat Club. She was a nine-time delegate to the Democratic National Convention, a two-time candidate for Illinois State Senate district 58, and served notable roles in the campaigns of President Bill Clinton (92 and 96) and of President Barack Obama (08 and 12). Barbara was a lifelong parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Ellis Grove, where she began playing the organ at fourteen years of age and continued for over forty years. In addition to her political career, Barbara contributed to the betterment of her community by helping to establish the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Randolph County, serving on the Chester Public Library Board of Trustees, starting and leading the Chester Aces (a 4-H club), being a longtime member of Rotary International and an organizing member of the DAR Liberty of the West Chapter.
Barbara was a beautiful and kind daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and woman. Her intelligence, integrity, and strength touched deeply each person with whom she came into contact. With her passing, the world is losing a distinguished and leading voice that spoke always for the rights and dignities of women and of common people. Her compassion and accomplishments are a testament to what one may achieve when she places family and community above individual aspirations. We should all be so lucky to be graced with knowing someone like her in our lifetimes. And while her voice may be silenced, her spirit will continue, burning bright in the expanding intellect of her students, the altruism of her colleagues, and through the love of her family.
Survivors :
Husband: Richard A. Brown Chester, IL
3 Sons: Jay (Gabriella) Brown Chicago, IL
Matthew (Ann) Brown Nashville, TN
Nathaniel Brown Fairview Heights, IL
2 Grandchildren: Leavitt and Alette
6 Siblings: John Todd
Carl Todd
Shelby Powell
Joann Meyer
Karen Stallman
Rebecca Dudenbostel
Preceded in death by : Parents
Funeral Mass : 11:00 am Monday, May 9, 2016
St. Mary Catholic Church, Ellis Grove, Illinois
Officiating : Fr. Ben Stern
Fr. Chris Reuter
Deacon Al DuBois
Interment : Evergreen Cemetery
Chester, Illinois
Visitation : Sunday, 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monday, 7:30 am – 9:00 am
Pechacek-McClure Funeral Home, Chester, Illinois
Monday, 10:00 am – 11:00 am
St. Mary Catholic Church, Ellis Grove, Illinois
In lieu of flowers
Memorials : St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Ellis Grove Altar Sodality
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
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