Born in Port Huron, Michigan, May 8, 1938, she was the daughter of the late Joseph Brown and Edna Copeland Brown. She attended the University of Michigan and earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. She retired from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette following 20 years of teaching in the English Department. She was a past member of the American Association of University Women where she served as the President of the Lafayette branch from 1988 – 1990. In 1993 she was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Independent Study Grant in Literature. She and her husband retired to Lynchburg in 1995. She enjoyed history and leading tours as a docent at Poplar Forest where she volunteered for 15 years. She loved reading, studying literature, going to plays, traveling with friends, and spending time with her grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by four brothers, Charles Brown, Elwood Brown, Milton Brown and Frank Brown and two sisters, Betty Schissler and Josephine Hirst.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, Paul C. Whitten and his wife Marnie of Lynchburg; her daughter, Jennifer A. Whitten and her partner Michael McElheny of Cleveland, Ohio; one sister, Gladys Kovach and her husband, Steve, of Lakeland, Florida; five grandchildren, Tyler C. Whitten, Brandon P. Whitten, Hannah E. Knowles and her husband Bryce, Avery W. Whitten and Andrew J. Whitten and a number of nieces and nephews.
A service celebrating her life will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 31, 2020 at Whitten Timberlake Chapel with Celebrant Polly Starnes officiating. Interment will follow in Fort Hill Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service.
Those wishing to make memorial contributions are asked to consider Poplar Forest, P.O. Box 419 Forest, VA 24551-0419 or to the Salvation Army, 2215 Park Avenue, Lynchburg, VA 24501.
