Irene Morgan Brown

Irene was born September 28, 1929. She was a graduate of Birchwood High School and received her degree in education from Middle Tennessee State University. Irene started her teaching career at Birchwood High School. Later, with her chemistry background, worked as a lab technician at DuPont and Cutter laboratories. Her desire was working with and teaching children so she went back to teaching at Orange Grove Center for 18 years, retiring in 1991.

Irene was an active member of Oakwood Baptist Church where she taught a special needs class for 25 years. She also worked with the children’s Jr. Choir, acteens, puppet ministry and the youth choir mission trips. She and her late husband Dennis, had a passion for missions, using their RV to travel and help start and build new churches, conduct VBS and a youth puppet ministry. She served as WMU president and mission’s leader at Hamilton County Baptist Association.

Irene followed her mother’s footsteps in cooking at Birchwood School cafeteria and with the help of her loving husband, preparing Wednesday night supper and the Brotherhood breakfast at Oakwood for many years.

Other mission endeavors were meals for patient families in ICU at memorial Hospital and meals for church families where there was a death or other needs. She and her husband prepared food, made visits to the shut-ins and kept the food pantry open at Oakwood for 30 years and giving to and supporting the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

In her later years, with health problems, Irene was best known for visiting shut-ins and weekly cards.

Irene was preceded in death by her loving, adoring, sweetheart husband of 61 years, Dennis R. Brown; her mother, Dollie May Selvidge and step father, Daniel “Edd” Selvidge.

She is survived by her sister, Juanita L. Hall; nephews, Morgan and David Hall; niece, Gena L. Hall; her husband’s sister and brother-in-law, Gerald and Katherine Carter and Dorothy Brown.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 pm on Friday, December 1, and 1 to 2 pm on Saturday at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home.

Funeral services for Irene will follow at 2 pm on Saturday at the North Chapel with her Pastor Ken Clark officiating.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Oakwood Baptist Church of Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN.