Obituary of Mary Brown

Mary MacKinnon Green (Mrs. Leonard R) Brown passed away from lung failure on Saturday July 12, 2014 in Roanoke Virginia. Daughter of the late John & Mary Green of the Boston area, Mary graduated from Braintree High School in 1945 and attended Bridgewater (Mass) College. She then moved to Washington DC to work at the Pentagon, which is where she met her husband-to-be Leonard Brown. They were married by A. Powell Davies at All Souls Unitarian church in Washington, DC on October 12, 1952. Mary was very active in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia, including a stint as Chair for the Board of Trustees, several years as Director of Religious Education, and many more as Minister's Secretary. During this time, the Browns lived in Annandale Virginia and had three children [Johnathan, Pamela, and Marybeth (Chaconas)]. Mary was widowed in 1987 but remained in Annandale until 2000 when she moved to Roanoke Virginia to live near her grandchildren (Derek, Mary/Kinny, Bram, and Troy Chaconas). Mary had been a lifeguard in her teens and most enjoyed her time near the water, whether at her father's cottage at Little Neck, Ipswich, MA or her own beloved summer home in East Sable River, Nova Scotia. Proud to be from Boston, she always rooted for the Red Sox even though she became an avid Redskins football fan. Her wit and wisdom will be long remembered by the many friends and family she leaves behind. As well as her parents and husband, Mary was predeceased by her sisters Anne (Pearson, 1984) and Margaret (Garg, 2005). She is survived by her sister Lillian Elwell of Portsmouth, NH, her children Johnathan (and wife, Linda Johnsen, of Sonoma, CA), Pamela (Brown, Miami FL) and Marybeth Chaconas of Roanoke, VA as well as the four grandchildren and many loving nieces and nephews plus their children who referred to her as Mary, the Great Aunt. As per her request, Mary is being cremated and will be interred with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery. There will be a service in Arlington VA when the interment is scheduled (date TBA), as well as a memorial service in Roanoke on December 20th 2014. Memorials can be made to The Unitarian-Universalist Church of Roanoke: 2015 Grandin Rd SW, Roanoke, VA 24015 or East Sable-Port L'Herbert Church; 1784 East Sable Rd, Sable River, NS Canada B0T 1V0