George I. Bown

George Bown, 84, of Winterset, died Saturday, September 22, 2018 at the HCI Kavanagh House in Des Moines. A visitation will be held from 2 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, September 26, at Ochiltree Funeral Service in Winterset, where family will be present to receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, September 27, at the funeral home with burial to follow in the Worthington Cemetery, Madison County. Memorials may be directed to the Worthington Community Church and online condolences can be left at ochiltree.com. George Isaac Bown was born on June 9, 1934, near Indianola, Iowa in rural Warren County, the son of Joseph S. Bown and Alice D. (Edgington) Bown. He graduated from Indianola High School in 1952 and later served in the US Army from February 1956 to February 1958 where he was stationed in Germany for much of the time. After leaving the Army, George married his one and only, Marilyn Joyce Grose on April 20th, 1958 at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Van Meter and they first lived in Spring Hill in rural Warren County. George and Marilyn bought a farm north of Winterset in Madison County and moved there in March, 1962 on one of the coldest days in history, 30 degrees below. George raised corn, soybeans, hay, hogs, and cattle. He was a very hard-working man and he loved his farm and his family. George and Marilyn raised their four children on this farm and taught them all about hard work, sacrifice, and the love of Jesus. George was an active member and former president of the Madison County Farm Bureau and an active member who held numerous offices in the Worthington Church. He sold real estate for Iowa Realty in the 80’s and 90’s before officially retiring. Both George and Marilyn enjoyed researching family genealogy and were always excited to find a new branch of the family. Anyone who knew George loved his quick wit, dry sense of humor, and his gentle manner. He searched far and wide for the perfect birthday cards to send to everyone and the grandkids will always remember Grandpa watching the Jungle Book movie with them and thinking that the dancing orangutan was by far the best part of the movie. He laughed no matter how many times he had watched it before. After Marilyn passed in 2003, George spent countless hours keeping up her numerous, beautiful flower beds around the yard that she loved so much. He enjoyed spending time with his children and their families as well as the Worthington Community. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Alice, and his wife, Marilyn. He is survived by his four children, Debbie (Steve) Jones of Des Moines, David (Kim) Bown of Winterset, Diane (Jeff) Koch of Van Meter, and Douglas (Mikki) Bown of Johnston; sister, JoAnn (Mack) Jamison of Winterset; nine grandchildren, Alicia Jones, Zach (Nicole Ervin) Jones, Laura (Luís Leyva) Jones, Sara Jones, Abby Bown, Justin Bown, Kendra (Alex) Hage, Megan Koch, and Benjamin Koch; one great-granddaughter, Juliett Leyva. He will be missed by many other extended family members.