Helen Brown

BROWN, HELEN D. Chelsea, MI
Helen D. Brown, age 96, died Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at Chelsea Retirement Community. Helen Doris Brown was born July 8, 1916 at home in Burnside, MI. She was the daughter of Allan and Sinda (Weaver) Brown. She grew up in Burnside, MI and graduated from Brown City High School in 1934 with a year of college education in Brown City. She graduated from Asbury College in 1939. She did extension work at the University of Virginia, and attended Oberlin College and Scarritt College to do graduate work in religion education. She attended Columbia University Teachers College to learn to teach English as a second language. During World Was II, she worked as a secretary at the Willow Run Bomber Plant in Ypsilanti, MI. She taught weekday religious education in Devils' Creek, KY and Wheeling, WV. Upon moving to New York City, she was commissioned as a missionary by the Woman's Division of Christian Service of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church to Indonesia, but was unable to continue with the assignment. She worked as a secretary at the Board of Missions of The Methodist Church. She continued to work as a secretary for several agencies in
New York City as well as for the Federation of Tenements. She enjoyed teaching English as a second language to foreign students. Upon retirement, she moved to Ann Arbor, MI. She was very active in the Elderhostel movement. She was a member of The First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor and very active in their Peace and Justice Committee and a member of the United Methodist Women. She was a member of the Post Polio Group of Ann Arbor and a member of CFIDS. Helen loved to decorate with miniatures and pictures. She was an avid picture taker and loved sharing her photos with her friends and family. She spent much of her free time reading and catching up on world issues. She is survived by many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; and her siblings, Carl Brown, Muriel Swailes, Ethel Groh, Florence Gleason, Dwight Brown and Ruth Mckinney. A memorial service will be held Sunday, May 19, 1:30pm at Chelsea Retirement Community. Arrangements by Cole Funeral Chapel, Chelsea.