Dorothy Brown

Dorothy Mae Cropper Brown was born on January 19,1927 in Fruitland Maryland to the late Jeremiah and Lenora Maude Cropper. Dorothy was one of four siblings of whom she loved and highly revered. This was a happy loving and highly religious family. The family moved to New York when she was six months old. 'My mother was like a gypsy and we were always on the move. ' They lived all over Harlem and the Bronx. Dorothy was raised and educated in the New York School system. Dottie Mae as everyone called her was joined in Holy Matrimony in 1944 to Prince Alfred Alfonso Brown from Cat Island Bahamas. In 1962, they settled in St. Albans, NY to raise their family. Through this happy union 14 children were born; 7 sons-Jerry, Kenneth(Kenny), Dennis, George, Kevin,William(Billy), and Edward. 7 daughters Lenora(Cookie), Patricia, Eugenia(Jean), Beverly, Delores(DeeDee), Irvina(Honey), Lorraine(Lori), and Sophia & Sonia. Grand Children (51), Great-Grand Children (37), and a host of Great Great-grand Children,and a host of nieces and nephews. Her happiness was her family! She would say, “They Are my life and without them I would have been gone a long time ago”.Dorothy was a God fearing woman who understood that faith in the almighty is the redemption of all that is humanity. It is through the teachings of Christ which Dorothy exemplified that she lived an enriched life filled with love of family, honesty, and trusting integrity. These are just a few of the moral compasses seen through Dorothy’s perception of life and the standards by which she raised her family. Dorothy loved life, loved to go to musicals, broadway plays and loved to shop! During her leisure time she would watch movies on TMC (Turner Movie Classic), Some of her favorites were Down Argentine Way Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane and she loved listening to songs by Tom Jones, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. During the late 1960’s Dorothy worked at Ideal Toy Factory where she met her best friend Jesse Drew. She worked there for many years, later moving on to become a Drama Coach at the Friendship Senior Center. She retired in the late 1990’s, as a Program Director. Dorothy had a big heart and a passion for people, and she didn’t stop there; she volunteered at small businesses in the neighborhood like the Village Door as a cook and a host of non-profit organizations. On Tuesday, October 18th God lifted our beloved Dorothy Mae Cropper Brown. She was a beloved Wife, Grandmother, Great-Great GrandMother, friend and mentor to a host of relatives and friends. Left to Cherish her memories are: 8 sons-George, Kevin, William(Billy), Edward, Lester(in-law), Michael(in-law), Rodrick(in-law), Curtis(in-law). 13 daughters Lenora(Cookie), Patricia, Eugenia(Jean), Beverly, Delores(DeeDee), Irvina(Honey), Lorraine(Lori), Rose(in-law),Teresa(n-law),Pamela(in-law), Kessiha(in-law), and Sophia & Sonia. 50 GrandChildren, 37 Great grand Children and many nieces and nephews. Dorothy joins in eternity her husband Prince Alfred Alfonso Brown, her sons Jerry, Kenny, Dennis, her grandson Michael, her parents Jeremiah and Lenora Maude Cropper, her siblings Ida Ellen Baugh, John Cropper, William Cropper and many relatives and friends. They say death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile right back. At that moment when Dorothy met her maker, we know she was smiling, and I’m pretty sure he smiled back at her because they both knew she was moving on to a better place. A place where her beloved husband, sons, grandson, siblings, and a host of friends and family await gracefully to welcome her into the gates of heaven. let us not overwhelm ourselves with sadness of our late Dorothy Mae Cropper Brown, but instead echo in celebration what a great gift from God she was to us. Because that is what she was…a precious gift from God who has touched our lives in a wondrous way. A gift of beauty inside and out and that beauty will live in our hearts and souls forever. Let us send her off with the joy and vibrancy that she has captured our heart with because we know she has taken her rightful place as one of God’s Angels.