Wilmer Brown

Wilmer Wendell Brown arrived on the on the family farm in Liberty before the doctor did on March 9, 1926, the youngest child and only boy of William Wallace and Elizabeth Dorothy (Libby) Dustin Brown.

Growing up, Wilmer always wanted to be a dairy farmer just like his father, and grandfather before him. Each year, from first to eighth grade, Wilmer attended school in a two-room school house in Liberty. After grade school, Wilmer attended Fielding High School in Paris, where he was a yearbook photographer and a member of the football, basketball and track teams. He also liked to play intermural sports such as badminton and he took up the sport of skiing.

While in the 8th grade, Wilmer and some of the boys in Liberty started up a baseball team and played ball in a county baseball group of boys. This group of boys/men played ball together for over 20 years. Several games were played at a diamond just south of where the overpass in Montpelier is today. He was the last survivor of this team.

In his early years, Wilmer was active in Dairy 4-H. He showed animals at both the Liberty Black and White Days (which at the time was said to be bigger than the Boise State Fair) and the Bear Lake County Fair.

He was drafted at the tail end of World War II and was stationed at Camp Roberts in California; training to become a mechanic. He was there for about seven months before the war officially ended and he was honorably discharged. He then attended Utah State Agricultural College in Logan where he was president of the dairy club for one year. He was also a member of Alpha Zeta, an honorary agriculture fraternity. He graduated with a BS in Dairy Science and a minor in Animal Husbandry. This education came in handy when after graduation he went into partnership with his father and eventually took over ownership and management of the family farm.

About this time, Wilmer started dating Adella Stucki from Paris. They were married September 8, 1952 in the Logan Temple.

Wilmer and his father were instrumental in establishing the Bear Lake County Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) in 1952. They received the Idaho Progressive Breeder award in 1957. Wilmer was a delegate to the National Holstein Convention twice, once in Roanoke, Virginia and again in Anaheim, California. He was director several times for the state Holstein convention and served as vice-president in 1960.

Enduring ill health most of her adult life, Adella passed away in April of 1977. In April of 1980, he was introduced to Wilma Mather Hudson through the single adult program in Logan. They were married June 21, just six weeks after their first date.

In 1989, Wilmer was inducted into the Idaho Holstein Hall of Fame.

In 2000, while recovering in the hospital from open heart surgery, Wilma experienced a major stroke. After a gradual decline in health, Wilma passed away in 2011.

In 2013, while celebrating Thanksgiving at the Liberty Church with Wendell's family, Wilmer fell and broke his left femur. He was operated on two days later and resided at Bear Lake Memorial Hospital until February 2014. From there he became a resident of Bear Lake Memorial Hospital Skilled Nursing Facility; where he has made several new friends and was reacquainted with several old ones. He especially loved the nurses and other staff members who took such good care of him. He truly, truly loved living at the SNF.

Wilmer, in addition to breeding "Excellent" ranked cows throughout his lifetime, at the time of his death was still very technological minded. He had a large number of "friends" on Facebook, surfed the Internet on a regular basis and bowled a mean streak on the Wii. In earlier years, he was a leader in the LDS Church and his community. He was a 4-H leader for four years and helped his children and grandchildren with their 4-H projects for many, many years. He served as a member of the local PTA, and on the Bear Lake Co. Fair Board. He was a member of the Bear Lake Co. Farm Bureau and once served as president. For 28 years he was active in the Scouting program, serving as Explorer Leader, Scoutmaster, Cub Master, District Commissioner, assistant District Commissioner and High Council adviser to the Scouting Program. In 1983 he received the District Award of Merit and also Scouting's highest honor, the Silver Beaver Award.

As a devout and faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served in many church positions such as Elders Quorum President, Young Men's presidency, Sunday School President, Bishopric Counselor, Stake High Council and High Priest Group Assistant. Two callings that brought him great happiness and satisfaction were Logan Temple Ordinance Worker and Paris Tabernacle Guide. As a resident of the SNF, he stayed busy as head of both the Family Home Evening group and the residents' council.

Wilmer and Adella are the parents of four children, Dorothy Birdwell of Kansas, Betty (Mont) Wade of Utah, Wendell (Sherry) of Liberty and Bruce of Kansas. When Wilmer married Wilma, he became the father of four additional sons, Doug (Rebi) of Utah, Mark of California, Scott (deceased) and Russell (Karen) of Utah. Wilmer also has 22 grandchildren and 55 great-grandchildren who adore him. He is proceeded in death by his wives; his parents; his two sisters, Bernice Ostvig and Marueen Roher, one son, Scott Hudson and one grandson, Andrew Brown.

A viewing will be held Tuesday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at Matthews Mortuary. A viewing will also be Wednesday, May 3rd from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. with funeral services following at 11 a.m. Burial will be in the Liberty Cemetery.