Frances Brown Mullen

Frances Ann Brown Mullen of Tuscaloosa died peacefully surrounded by her family on April 10, 2012, at Hospice of West Alabama. To celebrate the life of Frances, a memorial service officiated by Reverend Rick Olson will be held at Heritage Chapel Funeral Home, 5200 Old Birmingham Highway, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35404, on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. The family will receive friends following the service at the funeral home. Heritage Chapel Funeral Home, a Dignity Memorial Provider, is in charge of arrangements.

She was preceded in death by her loving sister, Julia Stinson.

She is survived by her loving husband of 66 years, Thomas Warren Mullen; children, Juliana Mullen Shaw and her husband Gene, Patricia Gladney Mullen Harmless and her husband Tony, and Frances Joy Mullen Lawson and her husband Ben; her brother, Marvin Howell Brown Jr. and wife Dorothy; and her brother-in-law, Thomas E. Stinson.

She was a devoted and loving grandmother to Jennifer Nicole Shaw Smyth and her husband Philip, Michael Thomas Shaw, Anthony Mark Harmless, Andrew William Harmless, Anna Lane Harmless, Matthew Thomas Lawson, and Anne-Marie Lawson.

Frances was born in 1926 in Gadsden, Ala. to the late Marvin Howell Brown and Pauline Frances Robertson Brown. She graduated from Gadsden High School. She met Tom at the Gadsden Service Club while he was stationed at Camp Siebert, Ala. After a brief romance they were married and lived in Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Indiana. They returned to Tuscaloosa in 1970.

She was very active at Covenant Presbyterian Church, serving as Clerk of the Session on two occasions and a willing servant in any capacity. Frances was also dedicated to P.E.O. International, a Philanthropic Educational Organization for women, and a member of Chapter N, Tuscaloosa. She served on the Alabama State P.E.O. Chapter Executive Board from 1984 to 1991, fulfilling the duties of seven offices and being elected president for the 1990-1991 term. Frances enjoyed her friends in Belle Arts Study Club, visiting people in need and traveling with her husband. She will be remembered for her beautiful smile, her dedication to friends and family, her courage during her final days, and her service to and love of the Lord.

Memorials may be sent to Covenant Presbyterian Church's Meals on Wheels Program, 113 Hargrove Rd. Tuscaloosa, AL 35401; or the P.E.O. Foundation, 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312.