Dorothy Vivian Brown, 92, of Fernandina Beach passed away on Tuesday, October 18. 2017 surrounded by her loving family.
She was born on August 13, 1925 in Jacksonville to the late Thomas Milton and Ola Forsyth. Her father’s great-great-grandfather, who was a Scottish botanist and horticulturist, was said to have introduced the shrub “Forsythia,” which was named after him, into Britain from China.
She grew up in Summerfield, Fla. and graduated from Summerfield High School. During World War II, Mrs. Brown worked as a teletypist for Western Union, where she met and married Alvie Britt, who was the father of her five children. Mr. Britt passed away in the early 1980s.
She retired from Maxwell House Coffee in Jacksonville in 1987 as a traffic logistics executive. She then met and married her second husband, Curtis Brown, in 1984 and moved to Locust Grove, Ga. She later lived in St. Mary’s, Ga. She kept busy, being an active member of the Methodist Church as a secretary and participated in the church’s Meals on Wheels program. She was also very active with Amaranth Eastern Star, where she held various offices, the highest of which was the Worthy Matron of her Court, and was a member of the Grand Court and appointed member of the Supreme Court.
When she was younger, Mrs. Brown was also a competitive square dancer. Upon retirement, she kept busy volunteering as a “Pink Lady” at St. Marys Hospital. After moving to Fernandina Beach with her husband, she volunteered at Baptist Medical Center Nassau.
She leaves behind her five children, Ed (Joanie) Britt of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Tom (Elaine) Britt of Eloy, Ariz., Rena (Terry) B. Murphy of Fernandina Beach, Ken (Chris) Britt of Jacksonville, Mike Britt of Jacksonville; seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, October 21, 2017 in the Burgess Chapel at Oxley-Heard.
The family will receive friends from 2 p.m. until the hour of service on Saturday at Oxley-Heard.
Please share her Life Story and leave your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.
Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors