Joan Katherine (Pritzlaff) Brown, who with her husband served as co-owner of the Oconomowoc Enterprise, was born July 31, 1931, to Waldemar and Florence (Merrill) Pritzlaff in Milwaukee. She graduated from Oconomowoc High School in 1949 and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in biology from what was then known as Carroll College.
Joan married Bruce Conner Brown on Nov. 20, 1954. Together they had five children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Bruce Brown’s father, C.W. Brown, bought the Oconomowoc Enterprise in 1936. It remained in the family until 1990, when the newspaper was sold to Conley Publishing.
During their time as co-owners, Bruce led the newspaper’s commercial printing operations, while Joan wrote a column for the newspaper called “I Must Be Nuts.” Bart Brown, Bruce’s brother, served as editor of the newspaper.
Joan died Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, at her home in Oconomowoc. She was 89.
