Charlene Brown, 81

Charlene Brown, 81, of Kellogg, Idaho, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, cousin, and friend passed away Dec. 29, 2021, at Good Samaritan Society — Silverwood Village in Silverton, Idaho, following a long illness. Charlene was born on July 11, 1940, to parents Charlie and Dorothy (Maddox) Linhart. Her parents gave her a love for camping and taught her to be a skilled fisherman, something she enjoyed her whole life.

Charlene was a lifelong resident of Kellogg. She attended and graduated from Kellogg High School, Class of 1958. Following graduation, she attended North Idaho Junior College for one year. She married Bill Manthos in 1960. Together, they raised their three children and were married for 24 years. She was a stay-at-home mother, and extended her love of children by offering child care in her home. She went on to work at Bunker Hill as a secretary until its closure in 1982.

As a young mother, she attended American Lutheran Church, was a campfire leader, and enjoyed the activities her children were involved in. She spent many weekends camping with her family, along with her beloved parents. Her favorite places were Kit Price and Big Hank up the North Fork River, and fly fishing at Lucky Swede and Whitefish, Mont.

Charlene married Steve Brown in 1985 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They spent several years enjoying the travel life, frequenting places such as Hawaii, Florida and the Caribbean. Together, Steve and Charlene became devoted Seahawk and Gonzaga fans, watching every game. She loved a good rags to riches story, and knew the life stories and hardships of all the main players for her teams. Charlene took the brave step to learn to ski and enjoyed it for a few years with her husband.

Charlene and Steve reveled in the role of grandparents. Granddaughter, Carlie was the first to come along and Charlene cherished spending time with her. They often took her fishing, hiking and on many adventures. When grandsons Chase and Jake were born, she found meaningful ways to connect with them as well, despite her health not being as good as it had once been. She retired from a long career at Sunshine Mining Company in 2004 to care for her infant grandson, Jake. Charlene was an avid reader all of her life. It was important to her to try to instill a love of books in her grandchildren so she often read to them, and bought them books as gifts.

Charlene is survived by her husband of 36 years at the family home in Kellogg; daughters Sally Manthos and Jennifer (Cary) Gornick; son Tony Manthos; stepsons Steve Jr. (Celeste) Brown and Shawn Brown; and grandchildren Carlie, Chase, Jake, Nicole, Devin and Brandon. In addition, she is survived by her dear cousin, Nikki Bofenkamp, and many special friends and family members. She was preceded in death by her parents.

To honor Charlene’s wishes, no memorial services will be held.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Silver Valley Snack Pak Program, P.O. Box 81, Pinehurst, ID 83850; or to Shoshone Pet Rescue, P.O. Box 884, Kellogg, ID 83837, or you can go to their website at www.shoshone-pet-rescue.org.

The Brown and Manthos families would like to thank Good Samaritan Society in Silverton, Idaho, for caring for Charlene with kindness and dignity.

Shoshone Funeral Services, Kellogg, is assisting with arrangements. Memories of Charlene and messages of condolence may be expressed to the family online at www.shoshonefuneralservice.com.