Betty Jo "Miss B" Brown

Betty Jo "Miss B" Brown passed away June 6, 2017, in Athens, Georgia, from the vagaries of age and chronic disease in what she saw as part of the expected adventures of a 90-year-old lady. As she said, getting old is not for sissies, but she stayed sharp, in her own home and at the center of her family until the final days of her life.

Miss B was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1927 to Fairy A. Reid and Joseph Reid and grew up in the Paducah, Kentucky, area. She graduated from Reidland High School in 1944 and enrolled in the World War II Cadet Nurse Corps at Louisville General Hospital School of Nursing, where she received her RN credentials in 1947. She served her country as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps through the Korean War era. While in the Army, she met and married Lieutenant Hugh A. Brown. When they left the Army, they chose Georgia as the place to build their lives and raise their children.

Miss B had a distinguished nursing career, including years as a labor and delivery nurse at Athens General Hospital and later working with Dr. John D. Elder in his OB/GYN practice. In 1976, she earned her Nurse Practitioner qualification from Emory University, after which she worked for the State of Georgia Northeast Health District as a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner until her retirement in 1990.

She was a strong, inspirational and - usually - patient pillar for her family and friends. She had great stories and carefully worded advice (if requested) to share with those who knew her, particularly if they wanted to get somewhere without ever turning left. She will be missed.

Miss B was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years Hugh A. Brown, her son Orr H. Brown and her brother James Roy Reid. She is survived by her loving children Dr. Cynthia Jo Brown (Aiken, SC); Rishia Lynn Brown and husband Dr. Ghulam Raza Mirza (Danielsville, GA); Terry Addison (Tab) Brown and wife Edith Ethridge Brown (Danielsville, GA); beloved sister Barbara Lou Sturm and husband Jack Sturm; sisters-in-law Ruth Reid (Paducah, KY) and Berniece Brown (Portland, OR); her four granddaughters, Sarah Mirza (Grand Island, NE and Athens, GA), Heather Brown (Kelso, TN), Brittany Brown (Gainesville, GA) and Vickie Poole (Athens, GA); and her four great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and longtime friends.

Mrs. Brown will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, with her husband Hugh A. Brown at a date as yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please make any desired donations to your favorite charity to help the world in her memory. For updates on the planned interment, contact Rishia Brown (rishiab123 at gmail dot com) and we will forward details when available.

Online condolences may be offered at www.BernsteinFuneralHome.com.

Bernstein Funeral Home and Cremation Service is in charge of arrangements.