Loving wife, mother and friend
Florence Mary Harrison Brown, 103, of Southbury, CT died in her home on March 31, 2022. Wife of the late Gordon Ray Brown, she was a resident of Southbury for 30 years and Pleasantville, NY for 32 years. Florence was born in Detroit, MI on January 13, 1919, to Celia May and William Wesley Harrison and spent most of her youth in Indianapolis where she attended Shortridge HS. Graduating in 1941 from Ohio Wesleyan University (OHU) with a bachelors in speech, she was recommended by the dean of OHU to join the Navy’s first class of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1942. She served in the New York City Port Director’s office decoding messages to and from ships and ports in Europe and South America. She was a lieutenant when she was discharged from the Navy. Returning to civilian life she met the love of her life, Gordon Brown, with whom she had two sons and a loving marriage of 56 years. Florence worked for the Pleasantville Board of Education and volunteered for numerous organizations; including the Red Cross, American Field Services, PEO and the PTA. Life-long Methodists, Florence and Gordon were active in congregations from NYC to Honolulu to Woodbury, CT. Wherever Florence went, she filled the world with love and laughter.
Florence is survived by two sons, William Brown (Gail Suderman) of Kamuela, HI, and Leigh Brown (Nadine Genet) of Ridgewood, NJ, five granddaughters and four greatgrandchildren.
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, May 7th at 2:00 PM at the Woodbury United Methodist Church (WUMC) in Woodbury, CT. In lieu of flowers, donations to WUMC or your favorite animal sanctuary would be perfect.
To leave an online condolence please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.
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