Mr. Bennie F. Brown's Obituary
BENNIE BROWN'S MY NAME... IN 1919, FRED AND CLARA BROWN'S OLDEST SON WAS BORN IN MERIDIAN MISSISSIPPI. HE WAS NAMED BENNIE FRANK BROWN. BENNIE WAS THE SECOND OLDEST OF SEVEN SIBLINGS. HIS BIG SISTER'S NAME WAS RUTHA MAE. HIS OTHER SIBLINGS WERE NAMED FRED, LESLIE, ELEANOR, LOUIS AND JOHN DAVIS· ALL BETTER KNOWN AS BUDDY, RUTH, KOOT, BABY, PRE1'TY BOY, OLE LOUIS AND J.D. LATER ON THE FAMILY MOVED TO SAVANNAH GROVE AND GREW IN SPIRIT IN THE SAVANNAH GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH. AFTER THEIR MOTHER WAS CALLED TO GLORY, HIS FATHER REMARRIED VELMA (MS. GERTH) ALEXANDER.
I CAN'T GIVE UP... BENNIE BROWN ATTENDED WESCHLER SCHOOL, COOKING AND BAKING SCHOOL, AND THE HARRIS HIGH BUI.LDING TRADE SCHOOL. ARMED WITH GRACE AND THE ARMOUR OF GOD, HE WORKED HIS ENTIRE LIFE AT SEING SELF SUFFICIENT. HE ALWAYS MAINTAINED A VEGETABLE GARDEN, RAISED CHICKENS, RAISED HOGS FOR MARKET, AND KEPT BEAGLE AND COON I DOGS FOR HUNTING. DURING HIS LIFETIME HE MAIJ).ITAINED A COMMERCIAL TRUCK DRIVING LICENCE, OWNED A POUL TRY PLANT, OPERATED A SHORT ORDER CAFE AND RETIRED FROM NORTHFOLK SOUTHERN RAILROAD AS AN OILMAN. HIS WORK ETHICS INSPIRED ALL OF HIS CHILDREN TO GO TO COLLEGE TO LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES.
MARIA, ("KID") I'M COMING TO JOIN YOU WITH THE LORD ... ON OCTOBER 15, 1940, THE LORD SMILED ON BENNIE BROWN AGAIN AND PROVIDED HIM WITH A BEAUTIFUL AND STRONG WIFE FROM EUTAW ALABAMA, MARIA MCMILLIAN. HIS LOVING WIFE PRECEDED HIM GOING HOME DECEMBER 30, 2012
THEIR MARRIAGE OF 72 YEARS BLESSED THEM WITH ONE SON MARSHALL LOUIS BROWN, THREE: DAUGHTERS, DORIS MARIE BROWN, CLARA JEAN THOMAS AND ELEANOR BROWN WILLIAMS· DAUGHTERS-IN-LA w EVELYN JONES BROWN AND THE LATE DELORES ROBINSON-BROWN; SON-IN-LAW JOSEPH WILLIAMS; FIVE GRANDCHILDREN YOLANDA CATRICE (TERRENCE) DAVIS, MARE' DESHALL BROWN, JOELL DEVAS, JAFFA DAVANE AND JARMAN ARTHURLEE WILLIAMS. LORD, YOU'VE BEEN GOOD... BENNIE BROWN PURCHASED THE PROPERTY NEXT TO HIS FATHER AT 927 -46™ AVENUE IN THE WEST END OF MERIDIAN. HE BUILT A HOME FOR HIS WIFE AND HIMSELF ' RAISED A FAMILY AND REMAINED AT 927 FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS EARTHLY LIFE. ALL OF HIS SIBLINGS MARRIED AND BUILT THEIR LIVES BETWEEN ST. LOUIS, (RUTH AND CECIL, KOOT AND LINDA); CHICAGO (BABY AND CLINTON); CLEVELAND (PRETTY BOY AND CAMILLE); LOS ANGELES (OLE LOUIS AND GLORIA); AND MERIDIAN (J.D. AND JOHNNY RUTH). WHEN BENNIE BROWN MARRIED MARIA AT THE LAUDERDALE COUNTY COURT HOUSE, HE MARRIED INTO A FAMILY OF 11 SIBLINGS • CLARA (WILLIAM) BRASSFIELD, WOODY (QUEENIE), BETTY ORVIN), CALEB SR. (MARTHA), JOHN (DELLA), TWINS JIMMIE (LOU BELU, & SIMMIE,. WILLIE LEE (MAMMIE), GLENN AND MARCELLIOUS. THEIR PARENTS WERE WILLIE AND HELEN MCMILLIAN. JESUS WILL FIX ... THE ARMY CALLED BENNIE BROWN TO SERVE IN 1942 & THE 2ND WORLD WAR. HIS MILITARY SERVICE TOOK HIM TO THE SEVEN CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD. METALS WERE BESTOWED UPON HIM FOR HIS EXPERT MARKSMANSHIP. WITH THE LORD'S ARMS STILL AROUND HIM, HE COMPLETED HIS MILITARY SERVICE
BATTERED, BUT NOT OUT, AND WITH AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE.
CALL HIM ... FOR THE VARIED ARRAY OF PEOPLE THAT HE DEALT WITH DAILY, HIS INTRODUCTION OF HIS , SELF WAS ALWAYS THE SAME, "BENNIE BROWN'S MY NAME". WHEN HIS 1ST GRANDDAUGHTER, YOLANDA, WAS BORN, SHE CALLED HIM "POPPOO" FOR PAPA AND IT STUCK. HE WAS "BOSS MAN" TO SOME, "MR: BENNIE TO OTHERS, "DADDY", "GRANDDADDY", AND "BUDDY", BUT YOU DID NOT CALL HIM "POP"! { WON'T LET NOBODY mu MY JOY ••. BENNIE BROWN WAS A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR THE RIGHTS OF HIS PEOPLE. THE ONE ALBUM THAT HE PURCHASED AND LISTENED TO REPEATEDLY WAS A COLLECTION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING'S SPEECHES INCLUDING "I HAVE A DREAM". HE WAS A R~GISTERED VOTER AND I WAS NOT AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR THE THINGS AFFECTING HIS PRAYING COMMUNITY. SHOW ME THE WAY ... EVEN THpUGH YOU DIDN'T HEAR HIM SPEAKING OFTEN, HE SOUGHT TO HEAR THE GREAT ORATORS OF HIS TIME WHETHER IT WAS ,, LEARNING FROM THE DYNAMIC PREACHERS OF OUR FAITH OR PRAISING GOD I LISTENING TO THE POWERFUL SINGING BY MALE GOSPEL QUARTETS. HE ALWAYS HAD HIS EYES ON A GpAL AND WAS WILLING TO DO THE WORK. OFTEN WHEN YOU WENT BY TO VISIT HE PLAYED A TAPE OF IONE OF HIS FAVORITE ' I PREACHERS, OR GOSPEL GREATS WILLIE BANKS AND .. LEE WILLIAMS, AND SAID, "NOW LISTEN TO THIS". ~ YES, JESUS LOVES ME ... GOD ~AW FIT FOR BENNINE BROWN TO BE HERE 95 YEARS. HE JUST STOPPED BY. HE WILL BE MISSED, BUT THIS'1PART OF HIS JOURNEY IS DONE. HE HAS MOVED ON TCj> BE WITH THE FATHER AND REJOIN HIS WIFE, KIN, ANQ FRIENDS.
What’s your fondest memory of Bennie?
What’s a lesson you learned from Bennie?
Share a story where Bennie's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Bennie you’ll never forget.
How did Bennie make you smile?
