ATLANTA, GEORGIA - On Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, Mary Jane Brown passed away at the age of 90.
Mary Jane was born on June 19, 1930 in Philadelphia, PA to John and Ruth Byrnes. In 1955, she married Harry Brown in Wildwood, New Jersey. They raised four children: Catherine, Michael, Gary, and Steven, all born in different states due to job relocations throughout the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The family moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1966 where Harry and Mary Jane remained until retiring to Franklin in 1995; Harry retiring from his career as an industrial engineer and Mary Jane from her position as a clerk at IRS.
Mary Jane inherited her father’s love of humor, his patience, tolerance, and understanding, as well as her mother’s unflinching pragmatism in facing life’s ups and downs. She proudly supported her children’s artistic endeavors in theater, painting, and music. She paid for drums and guitars; she helped make theater costumes.
She tended to see the humor in sour situations and never lost the perspective of the “big picture.” In the 1970s, she was far ahead of the curve in advocating equal sports opportunities for girls and women, especially in the then emerging sport of soccer. She seemed to enjoy helping her children and their friends. She was a “mom” to many of them. She encouraged and assisted anyone in the community who needed a helping hand or simple encouragement.
Funeral service will be conducted Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 at 3 p.m. from Martin & Hightower Heritage Chapel with Rev. Michelle Kuhlman officiating. Interment will be in the Georgia National Cemetery at a later date.
For those unable to attend, a live stream of the service will be available to view on the obituary page for Mrs. Brown at martin-hightower.com. Martin and Hightower Heritage Chapel has charge of the arrangements.