Rena May Brown

Brown, Rena May

Peacefully passed away on July 15, 2017, in Jackson, Michigan, at the age of 88. Rena was a gentle, yet independent spirit, ever since she was a child -- not one to worry about what everyone else thought. As a fearless young girl, she would jump on the train at the Jackson depot -- like a hobo -- to travel to see her older sister June in Albion, or even, at times, all the way to Chicago. She raised her children with that same attitude, and nurtured the creative and thoughtful spirit in each of them.

She was known for her talent of making a "silk purse out of sow's ear," arranging flowers and interior décor, and a love of all things there were haphazardly beautiful.

When younger, she loved to read magazines, watch TV, shop, go "junking" with friends, and, perhaps more than anything, go for drives in the countryside at all hours of the day or night. She was an old-fashioned farm cook, and could rustle up something out of nothing – a trick she passed on to her children. She was playfully aghast at how her children learned to cook with garlic and onions!

She is survived by her 7 children, Tim (Joan) Mackey of Mesick, MI; Sandra (Bob) Kellogg of Buckley, MI; Susan (Jack) Derr of Florissant, CO; Karen Jo (Jimmie) White of Jackson, MI; Michael (Terry) Mackey of Parma, MI; Shawn (Bill) Personke of Chelsea, MI; and Patrick (Diana) Brown of London, UK; and many wonderful grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

She was pre-deceased by husbands Howard Mackey and John J. Brown; her parents Cyril and Pearl Sheldon; aunt Lena Lull; and siblings June Rocco, Kenneth Sheldon, Alfred "Tuffy" Sheldon, Stanley Sheldon, and Beverly Kay Sheldon.

A private celebration with family will be held later this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Silver Maples of Chelsea's Kaleidoscope Concert Fund, Chelsea, MI; the Jackson District Library Children's Department, Jackson, MI; or the non-profit of your choice.