Earl Brand

Earl “Peanut” Brand, 90, of Mount Ayr died March 4, 2015, at Mount Ayr Health Care Center.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at Watson-Armstrong Funeral Home, 205 W. Monroe St., Mount Ayr. The Rev. Dennis Reynolds will officiate. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr. Open visitation noon to 2 p.m. service time Saturday at the funeral home. A memorial fund has been established in his name to be decided later. Online condolences may be left at www.watsonarmstrongfh.com.

Earl “Peanut” Brand, son of Madge (Crittenden) and Lewis Brand, was born Dec. 10, 1924, on a farm in Union County.

Earl attended country school in Union and Ringgold counties. He graduated from Mount Ayr High School in 1943.

Earl took teacher training, passed the state boards, and received his teaching certificate. He did not begin teaching because this was during WWII. Earl was deferred from the Army because he was needed to help on the farm with his father and brothers.

After the war, Earl moved to Chicago to do carpentry with his cousin. Several years later he returned to Mount Ayr and did carpentry with his father until he retired.

Earl is survived by his brothers, Paul (Georgia) Brand and Lee (Shirley) Brand; sisters, Lois Triggs, Wilma Schafer, Jean Gilliland and Betty Cobb; sister-in-law Ramona Brand; 23 nieces and nephews, many great-nieces and -nephews and a host of friends.

Earl was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Harold, Clyde and Dean; sister Margaret; and brothers-in-law, Bob Schafer, Lyle Gilliland, Ainslee Triggs and Walter Cobb.