Jicki Val Brown

Jicki Val Brown

Oct. 8, 1948 – Nov. 6, 2021

Jicki Val Brown passed into the kingdom of heaven on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. She was born in Evanston, Wyo., on October 8, 1948, to Charles Burl “Buck” Pollet and Naomi (Wilson) Pollet. 

Jicki lived a diverse life and loved adventure. After graduating from Mountain View High School in 1967, her wandering spirit took her all over the U.S. before she settled back in Wyoming. 

She was first married to Randy Tanner, with whom she delivered into the world her children, Donya, Jason, Becky and Jerry. She was later married to Don Leeper, and along came her fifth child, Val. As she raised her five children, Jicki studied English at Northwest College and worked for several years during the 1980s as the secretary of the humanities department at Northwest. Afterward, she worked as a legal secretary and also enjoyed bartending. 

She loved spending time with her family and friends. Jicki possessed a poet’s heart and naturally saw and appreciated beauty in the world and in the people around her. On April 13, 1999, she married her forever love, Mike Brown, her soulmate. 

Her many passions included writing, crocheting, spending time in the Big Horn Mountains, rock hunting and sentimental music, “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty being one of her favorites.

Jicki was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Naomi Pollet; siblings Wilson Felix, Jerry Felix and Charles “Chuck” Pollet, father-in-law William “Bill” Brown; and son Jerry Brionne Tanner, who died from complications of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency in 1998 just a week after his 21st birthday. Other beloved members of her family are also afflicted with this condition. 

She is survived and deeply missed by her husband, Michael Brown, of Powell; sister and brother-in-law Christy and John Petrich of Byron; sister-in-law Flo Felix; daughter Donya Tanner of Boise; son and daughter-in-law Jason and Joanne Tanner of Gillette; daughter Becky Tanner of Powell; daughter Val Leeper of Cody; mothers-in-law Marilee Tolman and Lois Brown; sisters and brothers-in-law Carrie and Dustin Hamilton, James and Mary Brown, Racille Brown and Frank Heinrich; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

A family gathering and interment will be held November 27, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. at the Byron Cemetery. An open reception will be held afterwards at the Elks Lodge in Powell. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends and loved ones please
consider donating to the Alpha-1 Foundation at alpha1.org.

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