Anna Belle Browning

Anna Belle Lee Browning , 76, a sacrificial mother and honorable wife, went to meet her Lord and Savior Thursday, March 10, 2011 with all her family at her bedside. Her struggles with the devastating monster we call cancer are now over as she walks Heaven's streets of gold and sings the victory songs.

She is survived by her husband, best friend, and soul mate, Bobby Ray Browning. God "rolled" him into her life at the local roller skating rink in Mudfork, West Virginia at the age of 18 and they have been inseparable since.

She is also survived by her five children: Teresa Morris, Robert Browning, Regina Spring, Trina Niznik, all from the Mansfield area and Donetta Browning from Independence, WV. She has three brothers, Luke Brewer and Earl Brewer of Mansfield, Ohio and Joe Brewer of Mesa, AZ. Her sisters, all of Mansfield, are Marge Bailey, Delora Thomas and Kathy Stehle.

She is survived by eleven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, all of whom she doted on and spoiled with her grandmotherly ways. No one went hungry around her. As a young girl, she was thrown into cooking and taking care of others and she never stopped. Her loving ways will always be remembered; from the way she helped strangers or friends in need to sacrificing for her children. She left a legacy of love, showing all who knew her how to love as Christ loves. She believed in the power of prayer and the need for reading the Bible as she walked daily on this earth. She did not focus on the negatives of life and was often quoted as saying, "You can't change it, so get up and go on" or "Forgive and forget". She was an exceptional example of unfeigned faith, mercy and grace as she has endured many hardships in life. She was a strong, wise woman who believed that God has a plan and purpose for each person and a time table that does not match ours. "For His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways". Although she will be greatly missed, we rest in the peace that we will see her again in Heaven someday because those who choose to believe in Christ have an eternal home.

Friends and family may visit from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, March 13, 2011 at the Ontario Home of Wappner Funeral Directors, 100 S. Lexington-Springmill Road. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Stewart Road Church of God Monday at 1:00 p.m. with Rev. Dallas Waggle officiating. Burial will follow in Mansfield Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, a monetary contribution may be made to the American Cancer Society and/or Hospice of North Central Ohio. She was a firm believer in not wasting money on flowers that will die but rather for things that would make a difference in the lives of people.