Patricia Brown

Patricia Rae Liechty Brown, born Sunday, April 7, 1940 to Melvin and Celeste (Lehman) Liechty of Berne, recently diagnosed with lymphoma, passed the morning of Friday, July 10, 2020. She was known throughout the Muncie community for her compassion and helping hands. She was a very active member of Riverside United Methodist Church. She enjoyed tending to her flower gardens and being an advanced master gardener. Family was her pride and joy, she looked forward to seeing them for holiday gatherings and spending endless summer nights at the lake. She was known for her soft demeanor and love for teaching during her 25 years of judging foods in 4-H. She started her career as a home economics teacher and 4-H instructor at Gaston Junior Senior High School.
She loved Ball State University, where she met her lifelong companion Ronald Kent Brown. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree; finishing her Master of Arts in 1970. She and her husband would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.  In 1974, she started teaching at Ball State University where she taught for 10 years. She moved to dining services in the fall of 1984, where she made her mark in the Ball State community as the banquet and catering manager. She stayed for 13 years serving small and large events before moving on to the manager of menu development in dining before retiring in 2002. Her love for Ball State continued with her membership in the Cardinal Varsity Club. She enjoyed attending basketball and football games along with many family tailgates. During her tenure, she received the Ball State University Business Affairs Meritorious Service Award in 1993 and the Ball State University Alumni Association Benny Award in 2001. She was also a member of the BSU Women’s Club, Rockin’ Red Birds and became an honorary member of Phi Upsilon Omicron in 2017. She was active in many organizations within the community. Throughout her life, she was a compassionate member of the Delaware County Home Laureates Homemaker Club; for 59 years, the Muncie Area Career Center Advisory Committee, and enjoyed working with neighbors in the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association. She and her husband traveled around the midwest with Habitat for Humanity building homes with church friends each summer for 12 years. As an advisory board member in 2004, she contributed in planning The Back to School Teachers Store, which opened in 2006. In 2017, she was the recipient of the Delaware County VIVA (Very Important Volunteer Award) for her hard work and dedication with the Back to School Teachers Store, Habitat for Humanity and Riverside United Methodist Church. She was also known for her organization and tasty creations of chicken and noodles and cube steak meals at Farm Fest, taking place every spring at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
She is survived by her husband of Muncie; two daughters, Angela  (late husband, Jay) Churbock; and Amy (Mark) Grasso, both of Muncie; son, David (Kimberly) Brown of Muncie; six grandchildren, Kyle (Whitney) Carmichael; Caroline, Katelyn and Catherine Grasso; and Victoria and Lydia Brown; sister, Dianne Liechty-Parrett of Berne; two brothers, Melvin E. (Linda) Liechty II of Newark, Delaware; and Dr. Barry (Sue) Liechty of Fort Wayne; sister-in-law, Elsie Brown of Muncie; and several uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, and cousins.  
She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Janice (Liechty) Zimmerman of Decatur; sister-in-law, Alice Liechty of Newark, Delaware; and brother-in-law, Gilford Brown of Muncie.
Visitation will be Friday, July 17 from 4-8 p.m. and one hour prior to the 11 a.m. funeral service on Saturday, July 18 at Elm Ridge Funeral Home, 4600 W. Kilgore Ave., Muncie. Burial and graveside services will follow at Jones Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Riverside United Methodist Church, 1201 Wheeling Ave., Muncie, IN 47303.  
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a mask is required at the funeral home.  Please remember to be safe and adhere to the six foot social distancing. For those not able to attend services at the funeral home, please watch the live link for the funeral service at: distantlink.com/elmridge.html.
Arrangements provided by Elm Ridge Funeral Home in Muncie. Online condolences to the family may be sent to www.elmridgefuneralhome.com.