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VERNA BROWN
Peacefully, with loved ones by her side, our Mum Verna Brown, passed away on Monday, June 8, 2026, at the age of 82 years.
Verna was born January 24, 1944, the middle daughter of five girls (Margaret, Mavis, Verna, Edith, Donna), to Bill & Ruth Yorke of Moline, MB. She grew up on the farm at Moline receiving her early education at the school in the town, later travelling to Rivers to complete high school. One year was spent at Brandon College to receive her Teaching Certificate after which she taught for one year at the one-room Hazelwood School located east of Minnedosa on Highway 16.
While working summers at the Whitehouse Bakery in Wasagaming, Verna met a young fellow named Harvey Brown of Crawford Park. They were married June 13, 1964, and together they had 4 children: Wendy, Audrey, Bill & Vicki.
During their early years Mum & Dad lived in a small mobile home in various gravel pits in northern Manitoba while Dad drove a gravel truck. One of her memories of this time was of leaving the Yorke farm after Christmas one bitter cold day, propping Wendy up between them in the truck with infant Audrey tucked into a box on the floor boards, and travelling back north.
Strathclair became home base when it was necessary for Wendy to begin school, a town chosen because two of Dad’s sisters resided there and it was close proximity to his new job driving a semi truck out of Shoal Lake. They put a mobile home into the new mobile home park and sodded the yard with grass so that their children had a place to play outside with the understanding that they would be reimbursed for this expense as the lot was owned by the town. They never were compensated & Mum jokingly said she still owned the grass on that particular lot.
Bill was born after the move to Strathclair and Vicki was born after the UGG house across from the school was purchased. Mum and Dad were very proud to move a new home onto that lot after the children all left home. They made sure it was finished & roomy enough for growing families to return for visits.
Mum began a long retail career with the Strathclair Coop in the mid ‘70’s working in what was locally known as the “drugstore” keeping the store well-stocked with small appliances, toys, personal products & liquor.
Work was very important to Mum so she continued in the retail sector by working a day or two a week at the Strathclair Community Centre after the drugstore closed down. A very personable person, she liked chatting & visiting with everyone.
In her spare time, Verna sewed, knitted, quilted, and crafted. To earn extra money when the children were little, she began taking in sewing & alterations which eventually became a popular & busy business - Verna’s SPA - Sewin’, Patchin’ & Alterin’. She would have still been sewing until the day she passed if she could have.
Mum & Dad were masters of the Sunday drive often leaving the house in the morning not quite sure where they were going to end up but quite certain there would be a tasty meal somewhere along the way. They also enjoyed many driving trips to visit family and see places. They really enjoyed a trip to Memphis to see Graceland & Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry.
There were many trips to watch the Yellowhead Chiefs when granddaughter Kirsten played as well as horse shows attended when Natalie and Splash competed.
Always proud of her children and grandchildren she is survived by:
Daughter Wendy (Casey predeceased) Tocher of Rapid City, MB - granddaughter Breanna (Taylor) Slavinsky & their children Piper, Rose, Sunny, and Fable of North Bay, ON. Grandson Daniel (Nikki) Tocher & their son Leo of Minnedosa, MB.
Daughter Audrey (Keith) McKerchar of Strathclair, MB.
Son Bill (Bonnie) Brown of Sandy Lake, MB Granddaughter Kirsten (Devon) Fordyce of Neepawa, MB & their children Kennedy, Reese, Tori.
Granddaughter Natalie Brown of Minnedosa, MB. Daughter Vicki (Dave) Peirce of Smithville, ON & their children Emma, Ben, Isla.
Also surviving are sisters Margaret (Millie) Yorke of Brandon, MB; Mavis (Vince) Gerwing of Gimli, MB; Donna Yorke of Brandon, MB and sisters-in-law Evelyn Moffat of Strathclair, MB & Florence Boyko of Welland, ON, brother-in-law Bob Kershaw of Kamloops, BC as well as many nieces, nephews & extended family.
Verna was predeceased by her parents Bill & Ruth Yorke, in-laws Bud (Alice) Brown & Leona (Albert) Pohl, husband Harvey, son-in-law Casey Tocher, sister Edith Kershaw, brothers-in-law Morris Brown, Raymond Moffat, Peter Boyko & sister-in-law Darlene (Toad) Watson.
A celebration of life will be held on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. from the Strathclair Community Hall. If friends so desire, donations may be made to the Strathclair Community Centre.
As published in Brandon Sun on Jul 04, 2026