Jean Brown

Norma “Jean” Brown (née Weeks) died peacefully of dementia-related complications on December 8, 2016, in New Orleans, LA. She was 85 years old. Jean was born on January 21, 1931, in Texarkana, AR, the second and youngest child of her parents, Hildrey and “Kay” Weeks. Following her parents’ early divorce, Jean and her older sister, Marjorie, were raised largely by their maternal grandparents, Daniel and Ada McKenzie, in the countryside of southwest Arkansas. Just before Jean’s 15th birthday, the two sisters moved to Shreveport, LA, where Jean met her future husband, Robert “Bob” Brown, in a high school biology class. “I still remember the first time I saw her,” he recalls. “She was the new girl in school, long dark hair and beautiful blue eyes. She changed my life.” It was December 1946 — 70 years to the month before her death. An excellent student, Jean won a scholarship to Northwestern University in Nachitoches, LA, where she earned an undergraduate degree as a Med Tech while Bob attended Louisiana Tech in Ruston. The two would marry in July 1953 and eventually settled in Shreveport, where their two children, Robert Jr. and Cindy, were born. In 1964, the family moved to south Louisiana, where the couple would spend the rest of their lives, living first in New Orleans and then in Abita Springs. Jean worked as a med tech and a researcher for several employers, notably University of New Orleans, where Bob also worked in the Athletic Dept. In Jean’s later years, she also worked as a realtor. Jean was a genuinely happy, kind, loving and faithful person. She loved to laugh and loved to help others, especially young people. Her Christian faith was central to everything she did, not only in speech but also in action and in attitude. She was a long-time member of Suburban Baptist Church in New Orleans East, as well as First Baptist Church in Mandeville, LA. Her great joy was to live out her faith, the fruits of which were abundant in her life. Jean is survived by her husband, Robert Brown; her two children, Robert Jr. and Cindy (Anne Rolfes); her five grandchildren, Natasha, Alyssa, Nathan, Maxwell and Myla; and her sister, Marjorie Philips (Ray). Relatives and friends are invited to attend the celebration of Jean’s life— a life well-lived and full of joy, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home in New Orleans on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. until service time. Interment will follow at Abita Springs Cemetery No. 2. Flowers will be accepted at the funeral, but In lieu of flowers, friends and family are encouraged to donate to the Alzheimers Association in her name.