Johannas William Brown, 45, passed away Thursday June 19th, 2025 while hiking in Glacier National Park. Johannas was born October 18, 1979 to Lorraine (Steve) Don and Calvin Brown in Havre, MT and joined his big sister Leila. Eventually he would have two little sisters Juletta and Breck Don. Johannas lived a full and adventurous life. His childhood was spent living along the hi-line. First in Havre until the age of five.
He spent the next year in Fort Peck as Lorraine was teaching in Frazier. Lorraine then moved to Malta and was teaching in Dodson. The next four years started Johannas to the man he was known to be. He attended St Mary’s school and started cultivating friends and the love of farming. Spending summers out at Grandma Keller’s and simulating tractor driving with Uncle Fritz’s pipe in his mouth. He plowed so many fields in his mind those days. The school years were spent plowing the shag carpet into meticulous fields with his toy tractors.
After Malta the family moved to Geraldine, where he finished elementary school and junior high. He attended KG for his freshman year, but returned to Geraldine during his sophomore year to complete high school. While living in Geraldine he would work summers at Uncle Roy’s doing what he loved, farming. In high school he played football, basketball and ran track, which cultured the social aspect of him.
After graduating high school he moved to Havre and started working for B.J. Schellin, Jacobson Drilling, then the Havre Water Treatment. In 2004 he met the love of his life and soulmate Shannon Hickel. He knew from the moment he saw her that he was going to marry her. She fell deeply in love with his heart of gold and their dream came true when they married on September 24, 2005. They honeymooned in Glacier Park which was the start of many adventures. They welcomed their first son Johannas Richard in 2007 and then their son Jacoby Calvin in 2008. Everything he did was for them. The boys were his pride and joy and he adored them. They took many trips as a family from an Alaskan cruise to the shores of Florida and many places in between, but Glacier was their special place.
As the kids grew up, Johannas and Shannon became inseparable in the last while, from farming to backroads to dancing, they were rarely apart and truly one. Johannas loved his family beyond measure. In 2008, Johannas made another dream come true, they purchased their family farm in Turner, Montana. He put his heart into his farm. He was one of the first organic farmers on the Flat. He finally had his own tractors and fields to plow. He was in heaven doing what he loved the most. He loved working cows, but never wanted to own any, so he never missed an opportunity to be a cowboy, which he was at heart.
As part of the farmstead improvements, his grandest project was building his dream home for his family that he built with his own hands from start to finish. He made sure it had a large space to entertain friends and family which he loved doing. Johannas loved to cook and spent hours preparing the perfect meal. After moving to Turner, Johannas had found his happy place. He became actively involved in his community, serving on the school board, coaching basketball, being a member of the Turner Volunteer Fire Department, the Hogeland Turner Lions Club and St Thomas Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, and was a founding member of the Big Flat Grain Bin where he still served to date.
He loved helping people and rarely turned down the opportunity to lend a hand or give advice. He could be found many nights visiting beloved friends at Reed’s shop or enjoying coffee hour at the store. Hours were spent playing cards, which he learned with the old guys in Geraldine. He was large in personality, always telling a joke or pranking someone with a cigar in hand, and he never missed many events because it's fun to have fun.
Johannas loved God and wanted to show kindness to all he met therefore no one was ever a stranger for long. He wanted to see everyone succeed. Johannas and Shannon spent many hours with friends including their travel partners P.J. and Tricia Kimmel. Johannas found a brother in P.J. and they had fun adventures along with many other dear friends in his beloved community.
He truly loved life and he had all his dreams come true and every day he would say “I just love being me”. We loved him being him too. Our world will never be the same without Johannas’ bright light and infectious smile. He truly was one of a kind. He is so loved and so missed, but we know we will be together again and the laughter and joy will be for infinity and beyond.
Johannas is survived by his wife Shannon, sons Johannas (J.R.) and Jacoby (Jake), parents Lorraine and Steve Don; sisters Leila Avery (Chris Rost), Juletta (Tim) Gilge, and Breck Don (Josh Schmitz); parent in laws Richard and Marge Hickel, brother in laws Greg (Patt) Hickel and Steve Hickel; chosen brother P.J. (Tricia) Kimmel; nieces Teigan Avery and Lacey Hickel; nephews Tyler Avery, Landon Hickel, Dan and Jay Hickel, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins and all his beloved friends.
Johannas was preceded by his father Calvin Brown, grandparents Harold and Erma Brown and Bill and Juletta Keller, brother in -laws Jerad Avery and Chad Hickel, and several uncles, aunts and cousins. A special thanks to Chris Rost & Maxx Bates for their heroic efforts.
Services are planned for Saturday June 28 at 1:00 at the Turner School gymnasium followed by a Celebration of Life (bring jokes) at the Old Gym. A Rosary will held on Thursday June 26 at 6:00 at St Gabriels Catholic Church in Chinook. Memorials may be given to the Hogeland Turner Lions Club, Turner Volunteer Fire Dept, St Thomas of Aquinas Church or Big Flat Grain Bin.
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