Individual Details
Lyllis Wilkinson
(1 May 1904 - 9 Aug 2000)
Lyllis, the eldest daughter of Carroll Allen and Winifred (Hill) Wilkinson, was born 1 May 1904 at Jennings, Jefferson Davis County, Louisiana. On 30 August 1926, she married John Ramsey Brown. John was born 25 August 1903 in Chillicothe, Livingston County, Missouri, and died of a heart attack at Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas on 25 March 1976.
Lyllis' first job after high school and some business school was with the Ford Motor Agency in Jennings, Louisiana. She saved her money and enrolled in Southwestern College at Winfield, Kansas. Here she met John Ramsey Brown who was a sophomore in engineering.
Lyllis returned to Jennings and her old job. In the fall she enrolled at Louisiana State Normal at Natchitoches. After her marriage to Brown in 1926 the couple returned to Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas, where John had a job with the county engineering department. In 1930, they moved to Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, where John took a job with the state highway department.
The cloud of the Depression stepped in. Though Huey Long had a multi-million dollar highway program underway, Brown lost his job in 1933. The young couple moved to Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas, where Mr. Brown's family lived. For the next few years they lived through the dust storms of the 30's, and with a job here and there and a roof over their heads, they managed to hang on until John was given a job by the Kansas State Highway Commission designing bridges.
In 1942 Brown went to Evansville, Indiana, to help build LSTs for the war effort. He was chosen to sponsor LST 882 which was launched in 1944. Lyllis broke the bottle on its prow to commission it.
After the war in 1946, the Browns returned to Kansas, but to Topeka this time. John took an engineering job with a steel fabricating firm, Topeka Foundry & Iron Works, where he worked until his retirement in 1973. John Ramsey Brown was a man of many and varied hobbies, wood working, metalspinning, collecting and restoration of antique automobiles, rock hounding, etc.
Lyllis (Wilkinson) Brown is still living in Topeka, Kansas (1994). She has worked for many years in genealogy, especially this Kirkpatrick line, and has contributed greatly to the compilation of this book. In her work she discovered that she and her husband shared a common ancestor, Captain Thomas Ashby of early Virginia.
There were four (4) children born of the marriage.
From AmericanPress.com
BROWN, Lyllis LCAP 8/17/2000
TOPEKA, Kan. - Graveside services for Lyllis Brown, 96, were held Wednesday, Aug. 16, in Mount Hope Cemetery. Arrangements were by Penwell-Gabel Midtown Funeral Home. Mrs. Brown died Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2000, in Topeka. During World War II, she christened the ship LST 882 in Evansville, Ind. She was a member of First United Methodist Church for 60 years. She was a member of the Prime Timers, the Washburn Walkers, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames and Magna Carter. She was a charter member of the Sewing Club, which began in 1937. Survivors include two sons, Marshall Brown of Oakton, Va., and Kirk Brown of Overland Park, Kan.; two daughters, Shirley Collins of Topeka and Carol Thomas of Santa Rosa, Calif.; two brothers, Kenneth Wilkinson and Willard Wilkinson, both of Lake Charles; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Topeka Chapter, P.O. Box 1427, Topeka, KS 66601-1427, the family said.
Lyllis' first job after high school and some business school was with the Ford Motor Agency in Jennings, Louisiana. She saved her money and enrolled in Southwestern College at Winfield, Kansas. Here she met John Ramsey Brown who was a sophomore in engineering.
Lyllis returned to Jennings and her old job. In the fall she enrolled at Louisiana State Normal at Natchitoches. After her marriage to Brown in 1926 the couple returned to Winfield, Cowley County, Kansas, where John had a job with the county engineering department. In 1930, they moved to Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, where John took a job with the state highway department.
The cloud of the Depression stepped in. Though Huey Long had a multi-million dollar highway program underway, Brown lost his job in 1933. The young couple moved to Larned, Pawnee County, Kansas, where Mr. Brown's family lived. For the next few years they lived through the dust storms of the 30's, and with a job here and there and a roof over their heads, they managed to hang on until John was given a job by the Kansas State Highway Commission designing bridges.
In 1942 Brown went to Evansville, Indiana, to help build LSTs for the war effort. He was chosen to sponsor LST 882 which was launched in 1944. Lyllis broke the bottle on its prow to commission it.
After the war in 1946, the Browns returned to Kansas, but to Topeka this time. John took an engineering job with a steel fabricating firm, Topeka Foundry & Iron Works, where he worked until his retirement in 1973. John Ramsey Brown was a man of many and varied hobbies, wood working, metalspinning, collecting and restoration of antique automobiles, rock hounding, etc.
Lyllis (Wilkinson) Brown is still living in Topeka, Kansas (1994). She has worked for many years in genealogy, especially this Kirkpatrick line, and has contributed greatly to the compilation of this book. In her work she discovered that she and her husband shared a common ancestor, Captain Thomas Ashby of early Virginia.
There were four (4) children born of the marriage.
From AmericanPress.com
BROWN, Lyllis LCAP 8/17/2000
TOPEKA, Kan. - Graveside services for Lyllis Brown, 96, were held Wednesday, Aug. 16, in Mount Hope Cemetery. Arrangements were by Penwell-Gabel Midtown Funeral Home. Mrs. Brown died Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2000, in Topeka. During World War II, she christened the ship LST 882 in Evansville, Ind. She was a member of First United Methodist Church for 60 years. She was a member of the Prime Timers, the Washburn Walkers, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Colonial Dames and Magna Carter. She was a charter member of the Sewing Club, which began in 1937. Survivors include two sons, Marshall Brown of Oakton, Va., and Kirk Brown of Overland Park, Kan.; two daughters, Shirley Collins of Topeka and Carol Thomas of Santa Rosa, Calif.; two brothers, Kenneth Wilkinson and Willard Wilkinson, both of Lake Charles; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, Topeka Chapter, P.O. Box 1427, Topeka, KS 66601-1427, the family said.
Events
| Birth | 1 May 1904 | Jennings, Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana |  | ||
| Marriage | 30 Aug 1926 | John Ramsey Brown | | ||
| Death | 9 Aug 2000 | Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas | | ||
| Burial | Mount Hope Cemetery,Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas | |
Families
| Spouse | John Ramsey Brown (1903 - 1976) |
| Child | Shirley Jeannie Brown (1931 - ) |
| Child | Marshall Randolph Brown (1934 - ) |
| Child | Carol Allison Brown (1935 - ) |
| Child | Kirk Ramsey Brown (1953 - ) |
| Father | Carroll A. Wilkinson (1872 - 1964) |
| Mother | Winifred Ara "May" Hill (1874 - 1934) |
| Sibling | Kenneth Clark Wilkinson (1906 - 2005) |
| Sibling | Laurel Turner Wilkinson (1907 - 1911) |
| Sibling | Carroll Allen Wilkinson Jr. (1909 - 1957) |
| Sibling | Willard Kirkpatrick Wilkinson (1913 - 2005) |
Endnotes
1. Compiled by Lyllis W. Brown, Topeka, Kansas.
2. Compiled by Lyllis W. Brown, Topeka, Kansas.
3. Social Security Death Index.
4. AmericanPress.com, Obituary of Lyllis Brown (n.p: 17 August 2000, n.d).