Vickie L. Brown

Vickie L. Brown of Grafton was famous for her turkey sandwiches.
    “For my cousin’s graduation, she ended up making three turkeys. Everyone always loves her turkey and gravy sandwiches,” her daughter Tiffanie Haglund said. “That’s what she was really known for. Everyone always ate it, and as full as they were, there was hardly any ever left, ever.
    “That’s kind of what her signature was. For all of our birthday parties or graduation parties, it was my mom’s turkey. Just the way she made it was different from anyone else. The secret was she would grill it over a charcoal grill. It wasn’t deep fried, it wasn’t in the oven, she would grill it and that was kind of the secret. Whether it would be in the summertime or wintertime, it always had to be over a charcoal grill.
    “She would let it cool and then shred it, and then make her special gravy that no one really knows how to make. She was the only one who knew how to make it. It was her own recipe.”
    Mrs. Brown, 55, died of pneumonia which led to heart failure on Thursday, Dec. 7, at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee.
    Mrs. Brown was born on Dec. 1, 1962, in Milwaukee to Albert and Deanna Buelow. She lived in Milwaukee until 1971, when the family moved to Grafton where she attended Grafton High School.
    Her parents used to own the Bridge Inn, which is where Mrs. Brown met her first husband, Robert Borchardt. They were married in 1983. Mr. Borchardt died in 2000.
    In 2007, Mrs. Brown married her second husband, Michael Brown.
    Mrs. Brown worked at Exacto Springs, was a member of the American Legion Rose-Harms Auxiliary, traveled up north to spend time with her mother, took a yearly trip to a resort, and played softball, bowled,  golfed and rode a motorcycle as well.
    “She was really good at bowling and did it for many years,” her daughter said.
    But Mrs. Brown was best known for her cooking. She created extensive spreads for work functions and family gatherings.
    “She would plan to cook for maybe 10 people but would have food for 100 people,” her daughter said. “She just made sure there was enough food for everybody. The way she shredded (the turkey), it was by far the best I’ve ever had.”
    Mrs. Brown is survived by husband Mike of Grafton; mother Deanna Buelow of Townsend; daughter Tiffanie (Jason) Haglund of Green Bay; son Travis Borchardt of Grafton; brothers Greg (Petra) Buelow of Grafton and Kevin (Gail) Buelow of Cedar Grove; and grandchildren Bella and Hayden Haglund.
    She was preceded in death by her father.
    Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at Mueller Funeral Home in Grafton. The reverend John Norquist of Father Lutheran will be officiating. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until the service. Interment will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Grafton. Memorials are appreciated.