Ruth Ellen Brown

Ruth Ellen Brown, 98, passed away on May 13, 2024, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, to whom she had a personal religious devotion. She died while overlooking the St. Johns River from her apartment in Jacksonville, Florida, after several days of devoted care from her son and so many of the friends who loved her.

Born February 17, 1926, in Toledo, Ohio, to Hyacinth Marie Metzger and Oscar Henry Hofstetter, Ruth’s life was filled with faith, love, and service to the community. She graduated from Julienne High School in Dayton, Ohio, and then moved to Miami, Florida, where she met her husband, Edward Joseph Brown, in 1946. They wedded seven months later and remained married for 71 years until Ed’s death on Christmas Day in 2017.

In the decades following 1955, Ruth and Ed lived in Palatine, Illinois. There, she opened her first childcare center, Flower Garden Nursery School, while raising their son, Ed. They enjoyed dancing the “jitterbug” and were often winners of local dance contests. This led to an interest in square dancing, where they became “exhibition dancers.” For intellectual relaxation, they enjoyed working the weekly “Little Fooler” crossword puzzles, published in the weekly newspaper, in Chicagoland.

Ruth and Ed moved to Jacksonville in 1973. There they founded Flower Garden Early Education Center on Park Street and operated it for nearly 20 years, providing guidance and support to many children through their formative years from infancy to middle school. Some of those children stayed in touch with Ruth until the very end of her life.

Ruth was a faithful member of Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville. There, she and Ed aggregated the St. Vincent de Paul Society, helping the needy in the Jacksonville community. Their service to the city was recognized in 2001 when they were selected to be the Citizens of the Year by the Northeast Florida Unit of the National Association of Social Workers.

In her retirement, Ruth continued to be an active member in the community, frequently assembling with her many friends of all ages in social settings. She will be remembered by all who knew her as a woman of unbreakable faith who inspired everyone she met and brought out the very best in all who were blessed to know her.

Ruth was predeceased by her husband, Ed, and is survived by her son Ed, her grandson Ed (Sarah), her granddaughter Nancy Ann, and her great-granddaughter, Brielle, all who live in Wisconsin.

A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, June 21, 2024, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 2609 Park St., Jacksonville, FL, 32204, at 10:00 am, followed by a repast in the parish hall. Her ashes will be laid to rest at Jacksonville National Cemetery, 4083 Lannie Rd., Jacksonville, FL, 32218, at 2:00 pm that same day.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, any gifts in memory of Ruth be donated to St. Paul’s Catholic Church or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.