Betty Brown

Mary Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Haase Brown born September 14, 1928, passed away on Sunday, June 6, 2021 at the age of 92. She was a native of New Orleans and for the last 24 years a resident of Covington, LA.

She is survived by her children M. Cathleen LaGaccia, Elizabeth Hedrick (Jerry), William R. Brown IV (Fran), Sue Ellen Lewis, and Alison James (Mark) along with her 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, W. Rainey Brown III, son Theodore ‘Teddy’ D. Brown, parents Boris Conrad Haase & Della Trosclair Haase, siblings Della Haase Blaum, Vera May Haase Caliva & Boris C. ‘Buster’ Haase, daughter-in-law Cynthia Niklaus Brown and sons-in-law Robert R. Generes, Frank LaGaccia and John Paul Lewis.

Betty graduated from Ursuline Academy in 1944 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Newcomb College in 1948.

Betty was born and raised in a New Orleans retail family. The family store, Haase’s Shoe Store & Young Folks Shop, opened in 1921. The store, presently located on Oak Street, is now celebrating its 100th year serving New Orleans. Betty operated her own children’s clothing stores, The Calico Kid in Metairie, for a decade. She loved visiting with the customers and they loved visiting with her. Not wanting to retire, Betty was a familiar face in local department stores including D. H. Holmes, Dillard’s and later Macy’s. After moving to Covington in 1997, she cared for her husband Rainey until his death in 2001. She never lost the ‘shopping bug’ even at the age of 92. She always had a list of things she absolutely needed and there was always a grandchild or great-grandchild celebrating a birthday or special event. Fully accessorized, hair done and carefully dressed each day, Betty always looked her best. She was known to enjoy a good gin martini (with lots of olives), loved a good laugh and a good cry too, and of course there was always a story ‘from way back when’ to hear. In her later years, getting out was a challenge but ‘Granny’ made it a point to attend a grandchild’s high school graduation or two.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a celebration of her life at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 105 Bonnabel Blvd. Metairie, LA on Saturday, June 26, 2021. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. with a funeral mass following at 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at stjude.org.