Virginia Lea Fern Brown, age 89, a resident of Ft. Scott, passed away Monday, September 2, 2019, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas. She was born May 24, 1930, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the daughter of William Aaron Swank and Mabel Clare Allison Swank. Virginia graduated from the Ft. Scott High School. She married Bernard D. Brown on July 15, 1951, at Ft. Scott. Virginia worked for the Western Insurance Company which later became American States Insurance company for twenty years. She enjoyed studying and preserving her family’s history and could often be found behind the camera at many family gatherings. She served as Librarian for the Old Fort Genealogical Society for several years. She was a past member of the First Church of the Nazarene. She and Bernard were the first couple married in the new church on Third Street in 1951.

Survivors include her children, Alona Wise, Cindy Clements, and Jeff Brown, all of Ft. Scott; eighteen grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. Her husband, Bernard, preceded her in death on August 30, 1984. She was also preceded in death by two sons, Craig and Randy Brown; two sons-in-law, Darryl Wise and Darrell Clements; three brothers, Lawrence, Robert and Wayne Swank and two sisters, Lillian Swank and Wilma Witherspoon.

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday, September 9th at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the West Liberty Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 P.M. Sunday afternoon at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Old Fort Genealogical Society and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.