Mary Jepsen Brown

Mary Gayle Jepsen Brown, 72, of Charlotte, passed away on April 22, 2022 at her home after a courageous battle with cancer. The daughter of the late Svend Paul and Elsie Madison Jepsen, Mary was born January 18, 1950 in Richmond, VA.

Mary graduated with a BA from Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC, in 1972. She had a productive career as a social worker until retiring from the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services in 2001.

Mary met her husband, David Brown, in Charlotte, and they were married on May 11, 1991. They enjoyed traveling and entertaining friends and family in their home, until David’s death in 2002. After his passing, Mary spent her retirement years engaged in many hobbies, including travel, gardening, Mahjong, and doting on her beloved Maine Coon cats, Cici and Max, who have found new homes with two of Mary’s friends.

Mary always enjoyed exploring new places and tasting different cuisines, and her travels took her to Alaska, throughout Europe, and as far away as Fiji and Bora Bora. She loved flowers and “working in the dirt,” which gave her comfort and happiness. Her home gardens were always beautiful and filled with color. Mary loved spending time with her special groups of friends. Her Mahjong buddies were especially supportive during her illness, taking her to doctor’s appointments and coordinating respite services. She also spent many fun-filled days on the South Carolina coast with her “Beach Group” friends.

Mary was preceded in death by husband, David Sands Brown, Jr.; her sister, Judith Ellen Jepsen; her parents, Paul and Elsie Jepsen; and a sister-in-law, Ginny Sickles. Survivors include a sister-in-law, Penny Brown Cannon and her husband Phil, of The Villages in FL; a brother-in-law, Rick Sickles, of Morehead City, NC; step-daughter, Sara Flores-Solar and step-son, James Brown; a niece, Cathie Moss, of Zebulon, NC; nephews, David Cannon, of Murfreesboro, TN, and Doug Cannon, of Apopka, FL; cousins, Barbara Evans of Richmond, VA, Raymond Sale, Alan Sale, Jackie Smith, Sandra Horton; second cousins, Michael Greenstreet, of Charlotte, NC, and Mark Greenstreet, of Durham, NC; and also many dear friends in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

A Memorial Celebration for Mary will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at McEwen Funeral Service-Pineville Chapel, 10500 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28210, with a reception immediately afterwards.

Memorials can be made to Friends of Feral Felines, https://www.friendsofferalfelines.org.

We would like to thank all of those friends and family members who helped Mary in her final weeks of life, including Penny and Phil Cannon, Sue Bennett, Diane O’Hare and the staff of Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.McEwenPinevilleChapel.com for the Brown family.