Words of Remembrance: Mary Ann Brown (Mark II)
Mary Ann Brown was born on January 1st, 1914, which means she was alive for ninety five years. A lot can happen in that span of time. They were ninety five years of laughter and joy. Ninety five years of life’s little heartaches, pains and sorrows. Ninety five years of graciousness and caring. Mary Ann Brown was given ninety five years, and I can assure you she lived those years to the fullest.
She was born in the small town of Rogers, Texas, just outside of Temple, to Joseph and Florence Parker. That small town girl was raised in a big family and completed high school at a time when school ended at tenth grade. She married her high school sweetheart and raised a family of their own in Waco. This was around the middle of the Great Depression and times were tough. Her husband, Edward, worked on both their farm and at the Coca Cola Bottling Plant just to make ends meet. They endured, however, and raised a great family. Their three sons, Bill, Ed, and Sam, and their daughters, Elizabeth and Penelope, are here today and can testify to the loving home they had in Waco. When Edward retired in 1979, they moved to Crosby to be closer to their children. Here they found a new family in Crosby United Methodist Church, one that provided an outlet for their faith and graciousness. When Edward died in 1981, Mary Ann was grief stricken, but persevered and continued on in the way she always did.
If there is anything you can take out of her life, it was that she was a Christian in every way, and was thoroughly committed to the ideals of Christian love. In many ways, her faith defined her and her actions. She was a lifelong Methodist, baptized at birth, and utterly devoted to living by her faith. This faith was obviously transmitted to her children, considering not one but TWO of her sons became Methodist ministers. She raised her children with compassion and kindness, but also instilled in them a good work ethic. Every penny counted, and while she was generous, she also knew how to survive on very little. You would be hard pressed to stop Mary Ann from volunteering and helping others. She was the head of the Hospitality committee here at Crosby UMC. She was the first one here and the last one to leave more times than I can remember. If you needed something done, Mary Ann could do it or find the right person to do it. If nothing else, she could feed you. They say an army runs on its stomach, and if Mary Ann’s cooking, I tell you that army could sprint a marathon.
Her graciousness and compassion were in a league of their own, as was her determination. We like to remember the good times in life, but it’s the hard times that define us. Mary Ann had her fair share of hard times. One day around Easter, back when Mary Ann and Edward were raising their family, Edward walked in the kitchen with a tense look on his face. He gathered around the family around the table and announced that, after a long dry season, the crops had been scorched by the sun. Most of it was beyond salvaging. They would have to “tighten the belt a bit tighter” that year. Mary Ann, however, had courage. “We’ll make it,” she replied. “With God’s help, we’ll make it out.” She then proceeded to serve the children their breakfast, unable to know the future, but determined to survive. Naturally, they made it out, but it was certainly in no small part due to the faith Mary Ann had and practiced.
She reminds me of the story in the book of 1 Kings 17: 8-16. God told the prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath. There he would meet a widow to feed him. Sure enough, there was a widow, but she was at the end of her rope. Elijah told her to give her food, but she said she only had enough to feed herself and her son one more time, and then they would die. Nonetheless, Elijah assured her there would be enough if she fed him first. I can pretty much guess that she was confused, and perhaps a little sad, probably angry, but she did as she was told. And sure enough, there was enough food. Not only that, there was enough food for days and days, until the next rainfall when more food could be gathered. For you see, it is as the Lord said: the jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail, if you give your trust to the Lord.
Mary Ann trusted in the Lord. She had the kind of trust that was totally and completely given, far more complete than anyone else. She knew that God would protect her, and it was the very least she could do to spread his protection to as many people as she could find, be it inside or outside the church. Mary Ann’s personal philosophy was that we are just passing through this world, and we need to make the best of it while we are around, because there is something much greater just around the bend. No matter what we do, we give all we can and be grateful for what we can do.
We gather here today to honor the life of Mary Ann Brown, because there is much to remember. We remember the good things, in spite of the sorrow of the past few weeks. A battle with cancer is a battle fought in the face of fear and uncertainty, but Mary Ann was a tough old girl. Some describe her as determined. Others say she’s just downright stubborn. Sometimes, however, the battle goes the wrong way.
We mourn the loss of Mary Ann Brown. We are saddened, because it doesn’t seem fair. But this isn’t the way Mary Ann would have wanted us to be, because she believed in the resurrection and the life God would provide. I can assure you, she has gone back home as she knew she would. As it says in Revelation 21, “See the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away… See, I am making all things new… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”
You see, Mary Ann knew what she was doing. Her life was testament to the Kingdom of God. She brought a little bit of heaven to earth to make things better. She saw the glory of God, now she is crowned with that glory in heaven. We miss her, this is true. We wonder why it happened this way, and we question why it happened to her. But we can rest assured that God has taken care of her, and God will take care of us as well.
I’ll leave you with one more scripture passage. Psalm 91 was her favorite, and it seems like a fitting personal credo for anyone who knew Mary Ann Brown. The last three verses say: “Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.” Amen and Amen.
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