Lou Ann Brown

Lou Ann Brown, 86, died peacefully at Glenaire in Cary on March 27, 2023. Lou Ann was a devoted wife, mother, sister, and friend to many. The son of Richard F. “Dick” Dudley and Freeda Clair “Lady” Dudley, she was born on November 28, 1936, in Hollis, Oklahoma. There she met the love of her life, Ben A. Brown, Jr., at age seven. Married in 1959, they spent the early years of their marriage in Norman, Oklahoma while both finished their degrees at the University of Oklahoma.

Lou Ann was a first-grade teacher in Oklahoma City for many years before Ben joined the United States Air Force. After serving three years, Ben joined Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals in 1967. Over Ben’s 26-year career with the company, Lou Ann orchestrated multiple cross country moves for the family – buying houses, resettling kids and dogs, navigating new school systems all with remarkable ease. She and Ben finally settled for good in Cary in 1976.

An avid landscape painter, Lou Ann was happiest surrounded by her paints and brushes in her home studio. She and Ben were founding members of the North Carolina MG Car Club. Retirement allowed Ben and Lou Ann to crisscross the state with a caravan of other club members in their 1959 MGA or 1980 MGB Limited Edition.

She was also a member of St. Francis United Methodist Church in Cary where she enjoyed volunteering her time.

Lou Ann was preceded in death by her husband Ben A. Brown, Jr., parents, and brother Richard F. Dudley, Jr. She is survived by her brother William D. Dudley (Nancy); son Ben E. Brown and his wife Cindy Davis; and daughter Holly Brown and her husband Jim Maynard. She was a proud and devoted grandmother to Lindsey Brown, Emily Brown Calogero, and Griffin Maynard.

The family will receive visitors on April 2 from 4pm – 6pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Cary. Funeral services will be held April 3 at 11:00 am at St. Francis United Methodist Church, Cary. A private family burial will be held afterward.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Employee Assistance Fund at Glenaire.

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