Mary Ann Brown's Obituary
Mary Ann Brown passed away peacefully in the home of her daughter on February 19, 2023, after a long illness.
Mary Ann was born October 15, 1949, to William Horace and Anna Marie (Lustig) Toothaker. She was such a happy baby that her father would wake her from naps just to see her smile. He called her his brown-eyed Susan, and to this day many close family members and friends still know her as Susie.
She graduated from St. Anthony High School in Effingham, Illinois, in 1967, and was studying to become a nurse when her mother became ill. She returned home to help out until her mother passed in May 1969. In August of that year, she married Bill Brown in St. Anthony Church in Effingham, Illinois. The newlyweds attended college at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale until schools closed because of the riots. In 1973, when she was six months pregnant, her youngest brother, Tom, was killed in a car accident.
These losses, faced at such a young age, did not dim her optimistic nature. She preferred viewing life through rose-colored glasses, and though she had a tendency to worry, she always looked for the best in people and situations. She is remembered as much for her kindness and patience as she is her can-do attitude and gentle sense of humor.
After her family relocated to Tennessee, she took a job with United Church Homes, a nonprofit that provides housing for seniors. She managed Fox Hollow Community in Covington, Tennessee, until she was promoted to regional manager, serving as a mentor to property managers at more than a dozen locations across the Southeast. Her favorite part of her job was showing up for people – helping her managers, making tenants smile. She forged lifelong connections with many of her coworkers and employees, remaining in touch with them long after she retired.
She was constantly in motion. When she wasn’t traveling for work, she loved shopping, reading, going for walks and spending time with her family. Fitness was a top priority for her; on inclement days, she would march in place while watching TV. Whenever one of her grandchildren asked her what animal best represented her, she always chose the hummingbird. It used to wear her husband out just watching her.
Her faltering health kept her from traveling much after retirement, but she took great pleasure in shopping for books, placing long, complicated Starbucks orders, spoiling her grandbabies, and holding hands with her husband of 53 years while they watched Wheel of Fortune. She loved crisp fall days, good books, strong coffee, giggling babies, and bright yellow sunflowers. Her grandchildren were her world.
She is preceded in death by her mother, Anna Marie; her father, William; and her brothers, William, James, and Thomas. Her surviving family and friends, including husband Bill, daughter Nicole, son-in-law Richard, and grandchildren Anya and Kai, are heartbroken by her loss.
Funeral Services for Mrs. Brown will be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at 2:00pm at Memorial Park Funeral Home in the Fireside Chapel. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service starting at 1:00pm. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.
To view the service via Livestream please click the link below:
http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/85326/hash:1A9DC6D8F5442573
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