Alma Brotherson

Alma (Lewis) Brotherson, 88, or Winter Springs, FL, passed away on February 22, 2022. Alma was born on September 29, 1933, in a small village named Middlesex, on the Essequibo Coast of Guyana, South America. She was the second of eight children born to Stephen and Mathilda Lewis. Her parents were ardent supporters of the SDA Church. Her father served as an elder and her mother held many positions at the Pomona SDA Church, where Alma attended as a child.

She attended the Huis’t Dieren Church of Scotland Elementary School, then went to Caribbean Training College (now University of the Southern Caribbean) for her secondary education and teacher’s training. She then returned to Guyana to teach with the SDA church. She first taught at a church school in Tacuba, on the interior of Guyana, for two years. She was then sent to Bethany Mission, where she spent seven years, serving as a teacher, cook, seamstress, and any other responsibilities as needed.

In 1962, after having a face-to-face encounter with a jungle cat, she migrated to England, where she completed training in Nursing, with a specialty in Midwifery. She lived in England until 1968, when she came to the United States, first residing in the Bronx, NY, then moving to Brooklyn in 1971. She met and married Solomon Brotherson in 1972, and they were married until his passing in 1978. Their union produced one child, Nigel.

Alma worked as a nurse for Bronx-Lebanon Hospital and Hospital for Joint Diseases until her retirement in 1998. She obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from St. Francis College in Brooklyn in 1978. Alma was a member of the Hanson Place SDA Church in Brooklyn, where she was a faithful supporter and active Community Services member.

In August 2001, she relocated to Winter Springs, Florida. Alma enjoyed volunteering at Florida Hospital – Altamonte. She joined the Winter Springs SDA Church, now Springs Meadows SDA Church, where she enjoyed the fellowship with the Young at Heart Community, going on mission trips, and preparing some of her culinary specialties for the International Food Festival each January at Spring Meadows. She loved to travel, having traveled to many countries in Europe and South America, to Israel, and Alaska. She also loved to cook, and often spent time with her neighbors in the Creeks Run Community cooking for them, and even teaching some of them her favorite recipes.

Alma is survived by her son, Nigel, his wife Leanna, and two grandchildren, Jeremiah and Nya; brothers, Edward and Christopher Lewis; sisters, Brenda Trim and Jackie Grant, and dozens of nieces and nephews, cousins, family, and friends.