Betty Louise (Castenson) Brown was born on November 22, 1931, on a farm in the Maple Park area. Betty attended Maple Park schools and graduated from Maple Park High School in 1949. She studied at the Copley Memorial School of Nursing. Betty began her nursing career at Sycamore Hospital, working as a registered nurse for more than 40 years. She served as a partner in-home health services. Betty was also known for her spaghetti sauce recipe, which she had officially trademarked as "My Mom's Sketty Sauce."

Betty married Stephen Brown on June 2, 1956. The couple had four children, Stephen, Daniel, Roberta, and Donald. Betty attended the Sycamore United Methodist Church; she was an active member of the Red Hat Society and enjoyed games of Mahjong with friends.

In 1999, after the death of Steve, who was a lifelong Sycamore resident and founder of Brown's Supermarket, Betty established the Stephen R. and Betty L. Brown Endowment Fund at the DeKalb County Community Foundation. Betty passed away on July 27, 2011, their Fund now serves as a memorial to the loving couple. This Community Impact Fund allows the Community Foundation to give where the need is most and support a variety of grantmaking programs through grantmaking.