Judith A Brown

Judith Anne Brown (“Ma Brown”) age 82, of Milwaukee, WI, passed away December 4th, 2025 with family by her side.

She was born on November 3rd, 1943 in Milwaukee, WI to Fred and Sylvia Hugin. She grew up there alongside her three siblings (Carl, Mary and Bill), helping out at her parent’s bakery (Hugin’s Home Bakery), graduated from Milwaukee Lutheran High School and then began working as a secretary at Briggs and Straton. Judy was an avid water skier and would enjoy the summer months on Pewaukee Lake. In 1970 she married the love of her life, Kenneth Brown Jr. and shared a short but loving partnership in which he often serenaded her with Neil Diamond tributes on the guitar, joined various bowling leagues and followed employment opportunities with a move to Iowa and then Kansas. It was there they were blessed to welcome two sons - Kenneth (III) and Kevin. She recalled fond memories of their years as a young family while living there, citing it as one of the happiest times in her life. Tragically, she lost her husband Ken suddenly to cancer in 1982, leaving her to raise two very young children as a single mom. She moved to back to Milwaukee for the support of her immediate family, vowed to never remarry and dedicated her life to raising her sons. Coming home also led her back to the care of the community at Mount Olive Lutheran church in Milwaukee, where her sons attended elementary school in the same halls she did. During this time, she worked as a secretary across various industries ultimately landing at the Lutheran Home where “Ms. Judy” (as they affectionately called her) “ran the show” as the CEO’s Administrative Assistant for 18 years. (Her sons believe it was surely serendipity that brought her back as a resident for her final couple of years of life under the care of women she hired and helped train so many years ago.)

She took on the role of two parents most of her adult life and embraced being a “boy mom," often taking them fishing or camping or hustling them around to various sports. She was always there rooting on the sidelines of the swim meets or baseball games. She was a devout Wisconsin sports fan with a fierce love for the Badgers, Packers and the Brewers. While they moved frequently, she relished her proximity to County Stadium/Miller Park/American Family Field, attending hundreds of Milwaukee Brewer baseball games with family and friends over the years - fair to say she didn’t miss seeing at least one live game for the last 40 seasons.

She loved to socialize over wine and homemade recipes and went out of her way to make sure her home was a safe haven for her sons and their friends through those transitionary teenage years - a time that affectionally earned her the nickname “Ma Brown” by many friends who spent hours on her back porch. As her boys grew, and the house grew quieter she enjoyed reading, gardening, and walking everywhere - around the neighborhood, the mall, nearby parks, the grocery store - you name it. She adored her children and delighted in the additions that came to their small family over the last couple of decades, including her son Ken’s marriage to Jaimi and the addition of two grandsons Kenny (IV) and Dylan Brown, as well as her son Kevin’s partner Rhonda and the cherished furry family members in their care.

She was known for her love to make connections - whether a thoughtful handwritten card, a simple greeting to a stranger or habitual requests to pet any dog she came across. She was deeply committed to bettering the lives of others through her career and volunteered many hours supporting fundraising for Alzheimer's research. She had a self-deprecating humor that always put others needs above her own. And she was never short on a punctuating curse word when it felt appropriate. She will be remembered for her devotion to her family, her belief that kindness in any form can brighten anyone’s day, and her stubborn independence. She leaves a large hole in the hearts of those who loved her and will live on in our memories as she now walks with so many loved ones that passed before her in heaven.

She is survived by her sister Mary (Bob) Plotz), brother Bill Hugin (Kathie), her sons Kevin (Rhonda Klinger), and Ken (Jaimi) Brown, and grandsons Kenny IV, and Dylan. She was preceded in death by her parents Sylvia and Fred Hugin, her Husband Kenneth Brown Jr, her mother-in-law, Ruth Brown, and her brother Carl Hugin.

A memorial/celebration of life will be held on Friday January 23rd, 2026, at Wisconsin Memorial Park 13235 W. Capitol Dr, Brookfield, WI at 2:00 pm.