Esther Mardell Brown, 84, of Elkhart, passed away at 9:15 am, Saturday, November 10, 2012 in Hubbard Hill Estates. Esther was born on April 5, 1928 in South Bend, the daughter of the late George Earl and Freda Iva (Tasher) Rupley. On June 6, 1948, she married James C. Brown. He passed away on January 19, 2009.

She is survived by four children, Larry (Elizabeth) Brown of Bloomington, IN, Eric (Deborah) Brown of South Bend, Kim Brown of Tamarac, FL and Peggy (Douglas) Burggraf of Osceola. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, 2 great great grandchildren and a sister, Althea (Keith) Hoskins of Clinton, IA. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother, Donald Rupley and sister, Dorothy Trefun.

Esther graduated from Washington-Clay High School in 1946. She went on to attend Manchester College where she met her husband. They were members of the former Elkhart City Church of the Brethren and more currently the Trinity United Methodist Church. She was an accomplished seamstress and tailor and owned and operated Fashion''s by Esther from 1956-1971. Her skills allowed her to design and produce several wedding trousseaux, as well as all the formal gowns for a Miss Indiana contestant. She was also in charge of designing the costumes for the Beaux Arts Ballet Company of South Bend. In her later years, she was a member of the Penn Music Booster and volunteered as a Pink Lady at Elkhart General Hospital, where she made the pink pillows and stuffed animals for the children. She was also an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching baseball, basketball, and football. At Hubbard Hill, she was responsible for starting the annual Super Bowl Sunday parties.

Visitation will be held from 4:00-8:00 pm, Wednesday, November 14, 2012 in Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 10776 McKinley Highway. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am, Thursday, November 15, 2012 in Hubbard Hill Estates, 28070 C.R. 24 West, Elkhart, IN 46517, with one hour of visitation prior to the service. Chaplain Dave Severance will officiate. Burial will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Osceola.

The family prefers memorial donations to be made to the Center for Hospice Care, 111 Sunnybrook Court, South Bend, IN 46637.