Billie J. (Jackson) Brown, 87

Billie J. Brown, a longtime resident of Kalispell, was taken home Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home, surrounded by her family, after a long battle with cancer. She was born April 4, 1922, in Pauls Valley, Okla., to Vester and Rose Jackson. Billie received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma where she majored in piano, minored in percussion, and performed in the UO marching band. As a UO junior, she scored first in a nationwide English exam. In 1945, she met and married Vernon Brown in Oklahoma City. The couple relocated to Burbank, Calif., where she worked for the aerospace industry firm McDonald-Douglas, and later in a photo studio doing photo retouching and serving as a model. The couple moved to Kalispell in 1949, where she worked as a private music teacher for over four decades, instructing hundreds of local music students in piano and percussion. Always an advocate for continuing education, in 1977 Billie helped start the Kalispell Area Music Teachers Association; she was certified by the Montana State Music Teachers Association the same year. She was also a founding member of the local community symphony orchestra that predated by two decades the current symphony, and performed in a variety of jazz and popular music groups. She will be remembered for her strong independent streak, affection for animals, love of music, and her optimistic spirit. Billie was preceded in death by her parents; and two brothers, Vester Jackson Jr. and Ed Jackson. She leaves behind two daughters, Diane Hansen and her husband, Nick, of Dayton, and Marcy Holston and her husband, Mark, of Kalispell; a son, Gary Brown, of South Carolina; grandchildren, Darren Hall and his wife, Carly, of Somers, Chris Hall of Kalispell, Kari Bradley and her husband, Sean, of Kalispell, Ben Brown, Jessica Brown and Levi Brown; several great-grandchildren; and many friends. A visitation will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at the Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home. A memorial service, officiated by Pastor Kathie Larson Phillips, is planned for 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home. Memorial gifts may be made to the Humane Society of Northwest Montana, P.O. Box 221, Kalispell, MT 59903. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.