Nancy Walker Brown

Nancy Walker Brown went home to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ, Thursday afternoon, July 21, 2022. She was a courageous warrior against Alzheimer’s Disease since at least 2011. Often Alzheimer’s patients say they want to go home. She is now at home, with Jesus, her youngest daughter, Lynn, and other beloved family members. Lynn fought breast cancer for twelve years before going home in August, 2021. Nancy, born May 16, 1930, in Cleveland, Ohio, was the child of Beatrice and Thomas Walker. Thomas was a native of Scotland who immigrated to Novia Scotia and then to Cleveland. Nancy was very proud of her Scottish heritage.

Nancy grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, attended Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and married Bob Agapi, father of her three children: Gail, Lynn and Mike. Bob died suddenly when the children were young.

Nancy was a life-long learner. As an adult she took such varied courses as business, sociology, history, archeology, sculpture, pottery, painting, nutrition, psychology and Bible Study Fellowship.

Although she moved to Greensboro in the early 1970’s and was a Tar Heel longer than she was a Buckeye, her heart seemed to remain in Cleveland with the Cleveland Indians baseball and Cleveland Browns football teams.

Her loving and devoted husband of twenty-five years, Trip Brown, always got great joy when she helped him with spelling and grammar, and especially in correctly pronouncing words. She was able to help him with his English even up until a couple years before her death. He also learned investment tips from her, a result of her going to the library and learning how to make wise investments. Her skills were not just academic, for she had varied jobs, such as training and supervising census takers and administrative work in a chemical plant. She was office supervisor at the Baptist Book Store Mail Order Center in Greensboro for eleven years.

Nancy also gave back to her communities as a physical therapy volunteer, teacher’s assistant for multiple-handicapped children, Girl Scout co-leader, MS board, counselor at Urban Ministries, volunteer at Potters House and Guardian ad Litem. Nancy and Trip met at a Servant Leadership course at First Presbyterian Church. They carried servanthood to the extreme by falling in love and getting married so that they could serve one another.

Nancy loved her family and enjoyed visits to Ohio with Trip. She loved music, nature, animals of all kinds (but dogs most of all), art, gardening, walking (Trip had to bring his A game to keep up with her), cooking and eating nutritious food (although ice cream was a must), traveling to new places, vacations with family at Litchfield Beach, antiquing, decorating, and singing in the Church choir. She had a beautiful smile and always went out of her way to help others, even in her last days.

Nancy’s parents, Beatrice and Thomas Walker and her beautiful daughter, Lynn Agapi Gilligan, predeceased her, as did her sister and brother in-law, June and Dick Winship. Nancy is survived by her husband Chester Brown Jr (Trip), daughter Gail (George) Whalley, son Mike Agapi, son-in-law Patrick Gilligan, seven grandchildren, Beth Kelly (Alex), Ben Whalley, Halle Krajenski (Steve), Abby Gilligan (fiance’ Colin Casey), Kate Gilligan (Jack Tokarsky), and Anthony and Lily De Maria; five great-grandchildren Nikolas, Norah and Elijah Krajenski and Harrison and Robin Kelly; and niece Sue (Tom) Bocian and nephew Rick (Gerry) Winship. She is also survived by Trip’s children Chester Brown III (Martha) and Maureen Voorhees (Ned), Trip’s sister, Eleanor Walker, and Trip’s grandchildren Hardy and Ellis Brown and Haven, Oliver and Owen Voorhees.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, July 26 at 10 am in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro. The service will also be live streamed at fpcgreensboro.org. The family will receive friends in the Mullin Life Center following the service.

The family expresses their deep thanks and appreciation for the excellent, professional, and loving care that Nancy received at Well-Spring Retirement Community, her home for the last nine years, and Well-Spring Solutions which provided additional support. These individuals are too numerous to name, but they helped a great deal in providing comfort and love in Nancy’s battle with Alzheimer’s.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that Memorials be sent to the Music Fund at First Presbyterian Church, 617 N. Elm, Greensboro, 27401, Greensboro Urban Ministry, 305 West Gate City Blvd, Greensboro 27408, The Employee Assistance Fund at Well-Spring Retirement Community, 4100 Well Spring Drive, Greensboro 27410, or the charity of the donor’s choice.

Online condolences can be made through www.haneslineberryfuneralhomes.com