LaRee Sitterud Brown

ORANGEVILLE — LaRee Sitterud Brown died peacefully, surrounded by family, on April 20, 2018. Born June 6, 1928 to Edgar and Nora Sitterud in Kenilworth, Utah, LaRee and family shortly after moved to Orangeville, Utah, where LaRee would live nearly the rest of her life. On Sept. 16, 1946, LaRee married Lenard Douglas Brown (according to LaRee, girls nowadays would refer to Lenard as a ‘real hunk’).
When LaRee was 10 years old, she started taking piano lessons, beginning her lifelong love of music. As a 12-year-old, she was already playing for LDS Primary, Sunday School, and Mutual. In high school, she began to accompany for everything: chorus, seminary, operettas, and Christmas cantatas. She often wanted to be one of the singers, but, even to the very end of her life, all agreed that no one had the gift to accompany others like LaRee. Music filled LaRee’s life and home. LaRee was blessed with perfect pitch, sometimes to the chagrin of her family, as she could pick out a wrong note in any song, and tell you if it were missing a sharp or flat even though she was a room away. She passed her love of music on to her children and grandchildren, encouraging them all to play (even though none were as good as she). Whether she was playing the piano, listening to the Tabernacle Choir broadcasts, enjoying Lawrence Welk re-runs, playing favorite CDs, enjoying local musicians who visited the Heirloom, traveling to live productions, or just listening to the beautiful birds singing outside, she and her family and visitors were always surrounded by music.
In 1958, LaRee became a postal clerk at the Orangeville, Utah Post Office. In 1983, LaRee became Post Master, and remained at the position until 1992, when she and Lenard both retired. LaRee loved visiting with the customers and the customers loved visiting with her; in fact, residents of Orangeville would often “forget” their keys, just so they had an excuse for a good visit. Every young mother brought her new baby in to have LaRee weigh it on the postal scale. One Orangeville man who lived alone had an only son who lived in Turkey. He gave LaRee his son’s number in case of any accident. Even at the age of 89, LaRee could remember everyone’s postal box numbers; in fact, during one last visit with Dr. Gagon, she reminded him of his childhood post office box number. After stopping to think for a moment, he looked shocked and confirmed that it was indeed his number.
A lifelong resident of Orangeville, LaRee was hesitant to move to the Heirloom in Price. Before long, however, it became her home away from home as residents became new best friends and staff became family members. Her stay at the Heirloom allowed her to not only have more time, but make the most of the time she did have.
There are so many things we will love and miss about LaRee, but we will try to carry on in our lives. Her love and devotion to her cats was heartwarming. Besides her close tabby companion Einstein, her house became a home for every wayward cat in town. They knew they could always find a good meal and a soft spot to sleep. Lenard and LaRee’s yard and flower gardens were a sight to behold. She was especially proud of her beautiful roses. LaRee could have made a fortune if she had packaged and sold her potato salad. We all spent hours with her trying to learn how to make it, but ours never seems to taste as good as hers. We have decided it was all of the love she put into it.
Family meant everything to LaRee. Her parents, her siblings, her husband, her children, her grandchildren, and great grandchildren were more beautiful, more intelligent, more talented than anyone else’s family, and if you didn’t believe it, she was not afraid to let you know otherwise. She loved them all, “a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.”
LaRee loved and appreciated Donna Mathis. Donna wasn’t just Mom’s medical provider, she was a lifelong friend who when they visited would always compare wardrobes, shoes, and jewelry before they discussed any medical issues.
LaRee was preceded in death by her parents, brother Harold and his wife Roxie, sister Norma and her husband Owen Wilde, and sister Marilyn, her husband Lenard, her three children Barbara, Carolyn, and Kathy. She was also preceded in death by her sons-in-law Jay Anglin and Jordan Hatch.
LaRee leaves behind her children; Linda Brown Anglin (Maryland), Bill Jensen (Orangeville), Craig and Noreen Brown Schvaneveldt (Providence), Larry and Sandra Brown (Midway), Rodney and Diane Carter (Castle Dale), David and Paula Brown (Rock Springs), and Blaine and Joel Jensen (Cleveland); 12 grandchildren; and 15 great-children. She also leaves behind a brother-in-law who is more of a brother, LaVoy Hardee (Orangeville), sister-in-law Allie Brown (Loa), sister-in-law Roxella Brown (Tooele) and many dear nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the Orangeville 1st Ward LDS Chapel with a viewing one hour prior to services at the church. Burial in the Orangeville Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price where friends are always welcome daily and may share memories of LaRee online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net.
The family gives heart-felt thanks to Donna Mathis, Shane Gagon, the residents and staff at the Heirloom, and the nursing staff and respiratory therapists at Castleview Hospital who provided mom with so much love and support on top of the medical care.