Bernice R. Brown

Bernice Ruth Peatrowsky Brown, 89, died peacefully Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010, at Ollie Steele Burden Manor. Visitation will be St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 2025 Stuart Ave., Baton Rouge, on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 8:30 a.m. until a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m., with the Rev. Gerald Burns, celebrant. It is fitting that Jan. 23 would have marked Bernice's 90th birthday, and we celebrate her birth into eternal life on this date as well. Burial will be at the Port Hudson National Cemetery, Zachary, in a private ceremony at a later date. A loving and devoted wife and mother, Bernice is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Douglas T. and Betsy Brown, of Penn Laird, Va., Jeffrey and Stephanie Brown, of Jackson, N.J., and Greg and Sandy Brown, of Baton Rouge; a daughter and son-in-law, Suzanne and Mark Gahm, of Sewell, N.J.; and a brother, Dave Peatrowsky, of Colorado. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jennifer, Jeffrey Michael, Shannon and Matthew Brown, Allison Brown Fond, Adam Brown, Jocelyn and Chrissie Flay; and three great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Jordan Brown, and Maegan Fond. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Elwood Cameron Brown, whom she loved completely; parents, Mae and Michael Peatrowsky; and siblings, Angela Quark, Betty McIntyre and Marvin Peatrowsky. A native of Verdigre, Neb., Mrs. Brown was a longtime resident of Tinton Falls, N.J., before moving to Louisiana in 1998. A devout Catholic, she loved her new parish of St. Aloysius from the moment she attended her first service there. Bernice loved being a "homemaker" and she thrived in this role. A child of the Great Depression, Bernice always found a way to provide for her family superbly on a tight budget. She was a true gourmet cook and excelled in experimenting with new recipes, always enhancing them with her own changes. She sewed beautifully, and made a lovely home for her family. Her children remember her homemade donuts and "kolaches" - an Eastern European pastry - with fondness. The Christmas season would find her making her famous "Christmas bread" and delicious Christmas cookies, all shipped to her family in various locations. Eating "Christmas bread," while opening gifts on Christmas morning, was a ritual in the homes of family members for many years. Her grandson, Adam, speaking for all of her grandchildren, remembers his grandmother as a "smart, warm and funny lady who perfectly fit the role of 'grandma'... going out of her way to keep me entertained, teaching me card games, playing board games with me and letting me watch whatever I wanted to on TV, while I ate her famous banana crème pie with a smile on my face." Pallbearers will be Mr. Robert Gibler, Mr. Francis Jumonville Jr., Mr. Todd Jumonville, Mr. Frank Muscarella, Col. Lawrence A. Pippins and Mr. George Underwood. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Bernice's honor to Hospice of Baton Rouge, 9063 Siegen Lane, Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70810-1951 or the Sisters of St. Joseph, Attn: Sister Bert Lieux, 4664 Jamestown Ave., Suite 125, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Mrs. Brown's family would like to extend their gratitude to the Hospice staff, especially to her nurse, Nettie Guedon, and to all at Ollie Steele Burden Manor, who gave such loving attention and care to Bernice. Special thanks to the exceptional women who embraced Bernice with so much love in her final months, especially Betty Vessel and Mildred Green, who tended to her so gently when she was hospitalized twice; Angel Jefferson, who truly was Bernice's "guardian angel" in many ways; Jeannette Pierson, who always kept her hair looking beautiful and was a true friend for many years; and Jo Ann Wyble, who was always so kind to Bernice and her family members.