Diana Little Brown

Diana Little Brown, 82, of Tampa, on October 31, 2026, entered the Kingdom of Heaven after a long battle with dementia. She is survived by her husband of almost 60 years, Richard L. Brown, her daughter Melanie Brown Glickler (Andrew), granddaughters Lynley and Emery Glickler, her brother Jon Michael Little (Judy), cousin, Margaret Wallace MacKnight (William), niece, Beverly Brown (Louis), nephew David Brown (Dawn) and lifelong best friend Patricia Weaver. She is preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Raquel Little and nephew, David Michael Little.

Diana was born July 16,1944 in Jacksonville, FL. She attended Dale Mabry Elementary, Wilson Junior High School and Plant High School, graduating in 1962. Diana attended the recently opened University of South Florida where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and graduated with her Bachelor of Art in Social Welfare in 1966. It was at USF where she met Richard (“Rick”) Brown. They married in December 1966.

Immediately after college, they began their married life in Charlotte, North Carolina but returned to Tampa in 1975, at a home in Sunset Park. In 1987, Rick’s career took them to Austin, Texas, but after five years of living without real Cuban bread and fresh seafood, they returned to Tampa and settled into their current home in Virginia Park.

Diana was a self-taught seamstress capable of making dresses without a pattern, working with all kinds of fabric as well as sewing home decor. In the 1980s she was part owner of The Quilted Sampler on MacDill Avenue, where they sold fabrics, tools and taught quilting classes. While in Austin, Diana was a volunteer with The Austin Symphony Guild as well as the Austin Nature Science Association benefiting Zilker Park. Once returning to Tampa she enjoyed antiquing with her brother where they sourced inventory locally to sell at an antique booth in Dade City. In 1994 Diana began to work with her husband at his CPA firm, Richard L. Brown and Company, as office manager. She enjoyed assisting the firm’s many clients.

While her accomplishments are many, Diana’s greatest joy was being a wife, mother and grandmother. Lynley and Emery meant the world to her, and she was always thrilled to spend time with them reading books, playing games, sewing American Girl doll clothes and encouraging all their endeavors.

Diana was a friend to all, never meeting a stranger, and her beaming smile and sparkling eyes will be missed by everyone who knew her. The family would like to thank Shelly Ann Hoskins for her care and dedication. A Celebration of Diana’s Life is scheduled for July 2027. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Dementia Society of America.