Jean Margery Browne, 101, formerly of Cheshire, England, died peacefully Oct. 22, 2022, Jean was born to Violet and Douglas Robinson in Derbyshire, England, on Aug. 29, 1921.
Jean was outgoing, energetic, and always fun to be with. In 1942, she joined the Women’s Royal Army Corps Auxiliary Territorial Service. She was trained as a predictor assisting the gunners with the vital information on the height and range of enemy aircraft.
During this time, she suffered sun damage to her right eye, eventually losing vision in that eye. She became an enthusiastic Army physical training instructor throughout the war. After the war, she resumed secretarial work and married Joe in 1947.
In midlife she and Joe spent several years running a small hotel near Manchester. After Joe’s death, Jean determined that traveling across the pond to visit her three girls in the U.S., had become more challenging. It was time for her to come over permanently, too.
In 2014, she moved in with Cherida and Don McCall in St Paul. In addition to being welcomed into their circle of friends, she made her own friends through St. Timothy Lutheran Church and the Lyngblomsten Care Center Community, where she enjoyed many pleasant outings and social gatherings.
Joining other veterans on the Twin Cities Honor Flight to the Washington, D.C., Memorial in 2016 was a huge privilege for Jean.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Joseph; infant daughter Carol; brothers George and Kenneth. She is survived by sister Barbara; daughters Jennifer Chorlton, Cherida (Donald) McCall, Heather (Richard) Heilman; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial was scheduled Dec. 10 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
