Myrtle Caroline Brownson

Myrtle, “Myrt” Brownson, at the age of 92, went to be with her Lord and Savior peacefully on Tuesday, May 27th at 6 pm at her home at Otterbein Senior Living Community, Pemberville, Ohio surrounded by her family and beloved staff who cared for her the past 6 years. The last few months of her life she was greatly missed at Bingo, drumming, ice cream socials, celebrations, church services and meals in the dining room as she rested in bed with Hospice providing wrap around services alongside of the caring staff of The Oakwood Assisted Living and Ashanti Hospice. 

If you knew Myrtle you would know that even to her last breath, she was gracious, thankful, dignified, brave, beautiful, and found humor and joy in the moment. She had a zest for living even in the most difficult circumstances and was one who modeled for others, “where there is a will there is a way!’ and “With God, nothing is impossible.” Determined, strong in faith, and unafraid of hard work, she did whatever it took to care for and support her family behind the scenes by setting a beautiful table, cooking  full course meals, and making sure everyone was properly dressed, learning impeccable manners, and sharing in her concern, provision, and love for others. She signed every card, “Love and Joy” and her favorite scripture was, “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24. She and “Dad” never went to sleep angry and always woke up asking God what their assignment was for the day.  

As a school administrator, her husband, Bill, was away from home many days and evenings and she was the one caring for Brenda, Cindy, who had special needs, and Bill. She was unafraid of hard work, having worked her way through college as a telephone operator, working at Archway Cookie factory, and serving as a maid for a wealthy family in Ashland, OH. Her parents, Major Hedley and Linnie Burrell, were Salvation Army Officers and she and her sweetheart of 70 years, Bill Brownson met in class as Burrell and Brownson were seated next to each other. She had a boyfriend in seminary in PA when she met “Dad” but he stole her heart and introduced her to the simpler farm life of picking strawberries, harvesting and eating the best sweet corn and freezing it, family dinners, playing card games, and enjoying homemade ice cream.  Their marriage was a beautiful combination of city and country values and living melded together to form a unique duo that achieved many accomplishments, acquired many friends, and made amazing memories with extended family. It was their faith that brought them together and their faith that brought them through every peak and valley in life. They took care of each other with Dad being her caregiver until the day he passed in September of 2019.  

Much to everyone’s surprise, Myrtle rallied and not only survived the loss of her husband and then her daughter, Cindy, in January of 2021, and every one of her siblings and their spouses and closest friends but thrived as she became a spokesperson for Otterbein being featured on billboards, in publications, on advertisements on tv and on Facebook. Speaking well was not new to her as she had been a  preschool teacher, a kindergarten teacher, a Migrant School teacher and founded and directed the Homemaker Program for Lutheran Social Services of NW Ohio-educating the public on the needs and process of the aging, speaking to churches and civic groups to raise funding, hiring staff  and overseeing a core of volunteers to help seniors and disabled individuals manage to stay in their homes. 

Myrtle was an accomplished pianist, sang in a Gospel Girls Quartet traveling the country during college, and hosted and cooked many breakfasts, dinners, and parties for school staff, Rotary club, and her Lutheran Church. She was the first one in the small community of Kunkle, OH to take in one of ten children when the family home burned to the ground and helped many other families in need in secret financially, while writing letters to prisoners, baking cookies to lift someone’s spirits and delivering Meals on Wheels.  One of her fondest memories was going on a Caribbean mission trip with the youth of Zion Lutheran Church serving as a chaperone. She also provided a home for granddaughter, Kelly Jo throughout a season of transition and considered Kelly to be more like a daughter than a grandchild. When Myrtle’s older sister, Muriel Clay, passed at a young age due to cancer, she became the “surrogate” mom to her nieces and nephew and brother-in-law Geoffrey Clay hosting them for Thanksgiving and Easters many years and being there for them--always just a phone call away. Along with being just a phone call away for them she was just a phone call away from her beautiful older sister Ruthie (George) Laws, their children, and her ornery accomplished younger brother Hedley (Ellen) Burrell and their children. Their many calls were filled with laughter, tears, cheers, and challenging one another as siblings who love each other immensely do. 

The middle child of her family of origin, she not only turned out to be the last one living but the one who always had stories to tell of their growing up years with her best friend-sister, Marion (Howie) Fritz who was only 13 months younger than her. Until the day Marion  passed in February of 2025 the two of them would talk on the phone, do What’s App calls,   teasing each other, recalling memories of vacationing together to Wales where they found their relatives and the church where their father attended and was baptized, to Vancouver to visit family, vacations to the sea shore of New Jersey, and later vacationing in Siesta Key Florida together. They would sing, “who will be the next to follow Jesus” and made a pact that when that time came-they would go together. Myrtle hung on a few months longer it seemed to make sure her kids were okay about her going on to be with Jesus and her beloved family awaiting her in Heaven. 

 A member of the “Pinehurst Gang” in Defiance, she and her husband Bill, made many memories walking the neighborhood, playing cards, going out to eat and celebrating birthdays with silly cards and gifts. These wonderful neighbors were her “family” doing life together. 

Before breaking her femur in a fall on Labor Day, 2024, Myrtle and daughter Brenda (and sometimes Mike) Wilhelm enjoyed 5 years of going out to eat, getting nails done together, hair done, shopping, going to movies, and visiting old friends. Brenda did her laundry each week and maintained her closet making sure her mother felt good about how she looked as it was important to Myrtle. Brenda and Mike hosted many family gatherings and celebrations that Mom and Dad attended along with Cindy over the years. Her son Bill and his husband, Myron, hosted her in their home in Columbus treating her like royalty until she was no longer able to travel as well. Bill and Brenda both spoke on the phone to their mom every single day for the past 5 years, made many, many visits  planning wonderful outings for her and perhaps that kept Myrtle rallying time and time again when often it seemed the end was near.  

Myrtle Brownson got a glimpse of heaven in her last days and exclaimed how beautiful it was and what a gift to be shown this beautiful picture. She was ready to go home! She leaves behind her faithful and loving sister-in-law, Velma Gardner, many much loved, nieces and nephews, her children, Bill (Myron) Brownson and daughter, Brenda (Mike) Wilhem, her granddaughter Kelly (Jon) Bergstrom, and great-grandchildren Joel. Aliya, Tristan, and Isaiah. She was also Grandma for 31 years loving and celebrating life with Heather (AJ) Granger, Josh (Laura) Wilhelm, Joel (Jamie) Wilhelm), Dan Wilhelm, and Sarah (Stephen) McArthur along with eleven more cherished great grandchildren. 

A viewing will be held at Zion Lutheran Church, Defiance, OH on Thursday, June 5th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm with a Celebration of Life Service the next morning on June 6th there at 11 am. Viewing will be available from 9:45 to 10:45 before the service. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery with a dinner afterwards provided by her church family of Zion.  

The family wishes to thank Ashanti Hospice, Otterbein Senior Living Pemberville, Zion Lutheran Church and Schaffer Funeral Home for all their love and care. Memorial giving may be made to Otterbein Homes Pemberville, Filling Home of Mercy of Napoleon, OH, or Zion Lutheran Church, Defiance, OH.  She loved flowers, so flowers are welcomed as well.   
 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Myrtle Caroline Brownson, please visit our floral store.