Phyllis Brown

Phyllis Eben Brown was born in 1926 at Dallas Center, Iowa, to John and Bertha Eben. She graduated from Waukee High School in 1943. After graduation, she worked at Tri-States Theater Corporation for 3 years before going to work for Des Moines Flying Service. She met her husband, Robert S. Brown, at the wedding of her brother, John, to Bob's sister, Hazel, in 1946. She and Bob were married in 1947 and had two daughters. Bob was chief engineer at radio station KCBC, and Phyllis was a homemaker until she went to work as a secretary to the president of West Des Moines State Bank. They lived in Des Moines until 1969 when they moved to the farm near Adel and commuted to their jobs in Des Moines. Bob retired from the radio business in 1979 and started raising cattle, quarter horses and mules. Phyllis continued working at the bank until her retirement in 1989 as a vice president of the bank and secretary of West Bancorporation, the bank's holding company. She continued to live on the farm and to enjoy several hobbies and traveling. Some of her travels included England, Scotland, Germany, and her all-time favorite trip to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, John Eben and Martin Eben, her sisters, Martha Eben (in infancy), and Eleanor Mowery. Her husband, Robert, died in 1986. She is survived by her two daughters, Linda Jordening of Waukee, and Barbara (John) Trier of Adel, grandson, James Trier, step granddaughter, Jennifer Trier (Dana) Oredson and their 3 children, Lars, Elsa, and Elias of Des Moines, and several nieces and nephews. A celebration of Phyllis's life will be held July 6, at Caldwell Parrish McCalley Chapel funeral home in Adel, Iowa. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm, with a service beginning at 2:30 pm. Private burial ceremony will be at Otterman Cemetary, Van Meter Township. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to ChildServe, 5406 Merle Hay Road, Johnston, Iowa, 50131, or to the Waukee Christian Church.