Gretchen Dale Hudson Brown, of Atascosa, passed away on January 7, 2022 at the age of 81. She was born May 19, 1940 in Cheyenne, Wyoming to Harold Dale Livengood and Helen Ailene Whalen.

Gretchen was full of life and lived it to the fullest. Independent and free spirited, she spent her early summers in Wyoming with her grandparents. She graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Gretchen married and had two children and then moved to Amarillo, Texas. In 1969, she graduated from nursing school with her RN and assisted with the very first open-heart surgery in Amarillo. Later, she moved near Des Moines, Iowa and went to work with one of the first Life Flight helicopter programs in the U.S. She loved her time on the helicopter and working with trauma patients. Gretchen finally settled in San Antonio and finished her nursing career in the home health field helping patients get treatment at home. John Brown and Gretchen purchased Advanced Automotive and repaired vehicles for 15 years. Gretchen managed the office while John and his brother Pat did the repairs. John and Gretchen loved their horses and enjoyed going on annual trail rides for many years. John and Gretchen retired in 2005 and loved spending time with their family, church, and community.

Survivors include her husband, John Brown of Atascosa; daughter, Heide Dawson (Ray Don) of Lubbock; son, Frank Danielsen of Amarillo; stepdaughter, Vanessa Olivo; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; siblings, Dr. Greg Brown (Jan), Jan Courtney (Ron), and Matt Brown (Sherry).

Gretchen was preceded in death by her birth father, Harold Livengood; parents, Sidney B. Brown and Aileen Brown.

The Holy Rosary will be recited at 9:00 a.m. followed by the Mass of the Resurrection at 10:00 a.m. on January 21, 2022 at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Macdona. Interment will follow at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Macdona.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in Gretchen's memory to Cedar Ranch at Westover Hills, 10107 Military Drive W., San Antonio, TX 78251.

Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com