Obituary of Wilma "Jean" Brown

On Monday, December 7, 2020, Wilma Jean Brown, mother of three, passed away. She was 93. 

Jean was born July 27, 1927, in Dryden, VA, to Everett and Margaret (Fraley) Livingston. She attended Fairview H.S. and Rye Cove H.S. before graduating from Stuart Robinson School in Blackey, KY. Jean graduated from Bryant and Stratton Business College in Louisville, KY, and worked as a secretary. She met Joseph Roger Brown and, in 1949, they were married. In 1951 Jean returned with Roger to Duffield, VA, where she devoted her life to making a home. Once her children were independent, Jean renewed her secretarial skills and worked at Holston Army Ammunition Plant, retiring with 25 years of service in 1992. Jean spent her final years at The Village at Allandale. 

Jean was a lover of music, serving as a church organist for more than 50 years. Involved in her community, Jean was active in PTA and Band Boosters. She helped bring Mountain Medical Center to Duffield, VA. Jean was a Master Gardener and a member of the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild. She hiked to the top of Mount Washington, traveled to Europe and Asia, and delighted friends and grandchildren who accompanied her camping in her Mini Winnie. Jean was a devoted 25-year volunteer at Natural Tunnel State Park, where she was a leader of wildflower hikes, organizer of the butterfly and herb gardens, and an interpreter at the Wilderness Road Blockhouse. Jean authored five books about personal experiences, local history, crafts, and cooking. 

Jean was preceded in death by her father, Everett, her mother, Margaret, her husband Roger, her siblings Lois, Billy Joe, Audrey Sue, and Betty, numerous aunts and uncles, and many of her more than 100 first cousins. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Joseph R Brown and wife Carmelita, David Brown and wife Genie, and Nickie Brown and husband Mark Kiser, eight grandchildren, Jennifer, Maria, Cecilia, Richard, Noah, Matthew, Anthony and Linnet, and three great-grandchildren, Sebastian, Natalie, and McKenzie Jean. 

Services are private and limited due to the current pandemic. Instead of flowers, Jean’s family suggests donations to the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Assoc. Inc. P.O. Box 757 – Gate City, VA 24251. 

Carter-Trent/Scott County Funeral Home is serving the Brown family.