Funeral services for Lindsay Brown, 8, and Claire Brown, 5, of Perry will be held Saturday, May 9 at 11 a.m. at the Perry High School Performing Arts Center, 1200 18th St. in Perry.
Lindsay and Claire passed away Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
Everyone who attends is asked to wear a face mask and practice social distancing. Those who do not feel well or cannot attend are invited to watch the service live. Please check our website for the link at the time of the service.
Burial will be at the Violet Hill Cemetery in Perry. Memorials will be given to the Brown family and may be left at the Carris Family Funeral Home and Cremation Care. Online condolences may be sent at www.carrisfuneralhome.com.
Lindsay and Claire were both brought into this world at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Lindsay liked to take her time with things and decided to wait 12 days before finally being born April 19, 2012. Claire, being the easy-going baby she was, only decided to wait an extra seven days and was born July 17, 2014.
Claire went by several names, including Claire Bear, ChubChub, Goofball, Monkey and Stinker. If you ever met Claire, there was a couple of things that you were guaranteed. Her hair was a hot mess. It always looked like she just woke up, no matter the time of day, nor how many times it had been brushed.
Also, you would usually find yourself in an impromptu game of hide and seek, and you were the seeker. You could be in a room for five to ten minutes, and you would suddenly hear her little giggle, followed by her appearing from the most unique hiding place.
The recipe of Claire’s bubbly personality required the following nightly dose of: 1-Big Hug, 1-Sweet Kiss, 1-Pound-it, 1-High-five, and a sprinkle of tickles. Several nights required an additional dose of a combination of any of the above.
Lindsay, also known as Bubby, Bug, Mighty Mouse, Tiny, Diva or Mother Hen, was always looking for ways to earn a dollar or a trip to the store to pick out new fake nails. She was always by your side, asking if she could help.
Her favorite way to help was to clean. She would often just disappear and come back and say, “Come look at the bathroom!” Sure enough, the bathroom counter would be cleaned off, the drawers would be organized and the mirror would be wiped down.
Lindsay always took her time on anything she worked on, wanting to make sure it was just right.
Lindsay and Claire loved their dresses! It could be the heart of an Iowa winter, and they would be begging to go to school in a dress. In the spring they would light up when you finally let them start wearing them again.
All the girls loved doing their makeup and could often be found in the bathroom, helping them apply it to each other. When young, they often came out looking more like the Joker than a beauty queen. But as each year passed, they grew more into young women, and their skills became honed.
Of course, being sisters, as with any siblings, there was also some rivalry. They would both compete at night about which one was going to help make dinner. This often led to having one on each side of the stove, taking turns adding ingredients, mixing the pan and even taste testing the food.
Claire and Lindsay were welcomed above by their Grandma Diane Swanger, Uncle Eli, Aunt Mandi and Aunt Amanda as well as a few small pets, including a mouse named Luna, who passed away when it got “hugged a little too hard.”
They are survived by their Mom Amy, Father Ben, Sister Katelyn, Brother Eli, Grandparents Dave and Ellen Fuhrman as well as many other people who will miss their smiles and laughter.
P.S. As we were writing this, we were flooded with many beautiful memories of our girls. We were the luckiest parents in the world to be blessed by their love and beauty. Even though we’ll have those memories forever, of course we wish there were more. As busy parents, we would often tell our kids to “hold on just a minute” while trying to finish a mundane task. Now looking back, not many of those tasks that were more important than spending that extra minute making another memory. So, from now on, we’re going to always hug just a little extra longer. We’re going to say good-night just a little bit later. Oh, and those dirty dishes might just stay like that an extra night for another chance of cuddles on the couch watching a movie.
