She was the beloved daughter of Frances Grubbs, and the stepdaughter of Tom McConn. She was an accomplished artist and art instructor until she retired at 84.
Barbara began her love of art at the age of three and started teaching art at 16. She attended Austin High School, where she met the love of her life Edgar Brown. They celebrated 72 years of marriage May 31, 2024.
A portion of Barbara’s art training was from Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso. But she also amassed extensive study from numerous artists across the country. Many of her paintings are in private collections in the United States and Europe. As a commercial artist for the Newspaper Printing Corporation, she was the first artist to draw El Paso’s widely known logo The Amigo Man.
Barbara taught oil, watercolor, pastel, air brush, pen and ink to her students. Although her personal preference was watercolor, she won many awards in all media. She was selected to show paintings in Juried Shows sponsored by the El Paso Art Association, the El Paso Museum of Art, Kermezaar, the New Mexico Watercolor Society, and the Watercolor Art Society of Houston. She was also a featured artist in Juarez, Mexico.
Among her claim to fame, Barbara was a very young girl when she painted the original Mandy the Mule in the park downtown, which her second stepfather cast in his foundry. She is also known for creating “Reflections of the Past” for the Woman’s Department Chamber of Commerce the widely circulated watercolor that depicts El Paso, past and present, with the old missions, mule-drawn trolleys, and old buildings becoming historical sites, gleaming new buildings, and the Star on the Franklins in their reflection.
The artist donated much of her professional time and the sale of her paintings to such organizations as the Child Crisis Center, the El Paso Rehabilitation Center, the Junior League of El Paso, KCOS Public TV, the Young Matron’s Auxiliary, and the Providence Memorial Hospital Permanent Collection.
Barbara was a member of the Junior Women’s Club, The UTEP Women’s Auxiliary, American Pen Women, the Rio Bravo Watercolor Society, and a long-time member of the Las Amigas Club.
She is a Past President of the El Paso Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, the El Paso Art Association, and the Woman’s Department of Chamber of Commerce. The latter will light the Star on the Mountain in her honor the evening of September 16.
Not only was this talented lady known as an artist, but she was also known for her green thumb. Many El Pasoans have visited her garden with every flower that could survive in El Paso, her amazing array of roses and hydrangeas, and always, water in her fountains. She is a Life Member of the El Dedon Verde Garden Club, where she won multiple blue ribbons, Judge’s Awards of Merit, and on several occasions, the club’s coveted Best in Show.
This regal, talented lady is the epitome of grace, elegance and beauty. She was voted Most Beautiful by her classmates at Austin High School, and during the years 1962-63 served as Mrs. El Paso. She was chosen to be this ambassador of our city for her kindness, her many artistic talents, her elegant table settings, her home décor, and of course, her amazing gardening capabilities.
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband Edgar and her mother Frances Grubbs. She is survived by her children Edgar Brown, Jr., Cathy (Dr. John) Reynolds, and Nancy Evans (Frank). She has six grandchildren, Jason (Jana), Cody (Heather), and Landon (Sarah) Amis, Edgar Brown III (Naomi), Rebecca (Paul) Romero, and Sherry (James) Duke, and 14 great grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 5:00 to 9:00 pm with Rosary at 7:00 pm Tuesday September 15 at Del Angel Funeral Home, 8817 Dyer. Funeral Mass will be at 11:00 am Wednesday September 16 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 9025 Diana Drive.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that contributions that be made in memory of Barbara Brown to the El Paso Community Foundation.
