LaRue Thurston Brown passed away on Dec. 17, 2023, at the St George Regional Hospital. She was born on May 26, 1944, in North Logan, Utah, to Frank Jefferson Thurston and Rhoda Weyerman. She was the third of nine children. She grew up in Hyde Park, Utah. She loved school and graduated from North Cache High School. She cleaned motel rooms until she got a job at the bank.
She was so proud of being able to work and move out on her own. She was able to buy her first Bernina sewing machine and never stopped sewing. Her legacy will be the many quilts, dresses, doll dresses, baby items, Halloween costumes and home items that she gifted to anyone and everyone who she loved and considered a friend — or even strangers. Her kindness had no limit.
She met Thayle Brown from Hyrum, Utah, at a church fireside. They fell in love and were married on July 16, 1965, in the Logan LDS Temple. They lost their first son James in July 1966. He was two months premature. They settled in Hyrum where their family of five children grew up with her nurturing and love along with lots of homemade cookies, Christmas and birthday celebrations and quilts. Her Christmas in July celebrations are legendary.
She decided that St George would be the place to live after Thayle retired. They picked up and moved. She enjoyed the warm weather and making new friends. She also found more quilt shops and sewing projects to keep her busy.
She battled cancer twice and beat it, but she could not beat kidney failure. She will be spending Christmas with her son James and daughter Susan Lowder, who passed away in July 2022. She is survived by her husband Thayle, a daughter Jeanene (Paul) Randle and three sons — Brian (Kristen), Jeff (Marie) and Keith (Lynzee) and son-in-law Jeff Lowder; 15 grandchildren — Tim (Valerie) Bennion, Steven (Kellie) Bennion, Max Hartle, Karissa Hartle, Taylor Gower, Sylvia, Allison, Treyson, Dallin, James, Amelia, Michael, Lily, Emma and Lee Brown plus two great-grandchildren Andrew and Alivia. She is also survived by five brothers and one sister — Tom, Myrl (Orvetta), Bern (Marie), Jerry, Ken (Vicky) and Rachel Shaffer plus other family and friends whowill miss her dearly.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 11 a.m. at the Cotton Acres LDS Chapel, 2583 East 350 North, St George, Utah. A viewing will be held prior to services from 10:-10:45 a.m. prior to services at the same location. Graveside services will be on Wednesday, Dec. 27, at the Hyrum City Cemetery at noon.
Family and friends are invited to share tributes online. Arrangements and memorial tree planting by Serenity Funeral Home of Southern Utah, 435-986-9100.