In Loving Memory of Shirley “Jean” Browning
March 14, 1935 - June 22, 2025

Shirley “Jean” Browning, a woman of grace, humor, and boundless love, passed away peacefully at age 90 in her home, with loved ones by her side on June 22, 2025.

Jean’s final resting place is Humboldt County, where she had spent the last two decades of her life surrounded by family, music and the redwoods she came to adore.

Born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, Jean’s early years were spent across Kansas and Illinois before her family settled in Colorado, where she completed high school. Her love for music blossomed early — she started piano lessons at age 4, played the French horn in high school and college, sang beautifully and also learned to play the pipe organ. After retirement and later in life, rarely missed a live performance. Music was her heartbeat, her joy and her constant companion.

Jean was a devoted homemaker and mother extraordinaire to her four children — Barbara, Shelly, Chris and Leisl — before embarking on a successful career as a senior-level Executive Assistant. She brought her signature warmth and precision to her roles at Informatics and later at Paccar, supporting top executives with grace and professionalism.

Her life’s journey took her through Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, California, Idaho and Washington, before she retired to Humboldt County to be near her daughter, Barbara, and her husband, Ron. For the past 20 years, she built a rich life in the community—singing and playing music with the McKinleyville Choir and the Gila Monsters, serving on the board of the Eureka Symphony, serving as secretary of the Oceanwest homeowner group, playing poker and Mahjong and entertaining friends and family with her signature sparkle.

Jean’s sweet tooth was legendary — she adored all things sugary and somehow managed to dodge diabetes despite years of being pre-diabetic. Coke Zero was her drink of choice, and she never turned down a salted caramel treat. Her zest for life was matched only by her love for her dogs, Tank and Lily, and her cherished adventures to Costa Rica, Morocco, Ireland, Wales and Scotland after retirement.

She was deeply loved by her “girlfriends” group from Washington, the friends she met at Oceanwest, her choir companions, her fellow Gila Monsters, her many nieces and nephews and, of course, her children and grandchildren. Her home was always open, her laughter infectious and her stories unforgettable.

Though we may not recall every mischievous moment (and she’d probably prefer it that way), Jean’s legacy is one of joy, resilience and a life lived in full harmony.

Donations in Jean’s name can be made to Hospice of Humboldt.

She will be missed beyond measure and remembered with every sweet note, every shared laugh, and every song sung in her memory.