Corinne Brown

Corinne Brown, 85, died on Wednesday, June 13, at the North Carolina Lutheran Home in Salisbury. She was born on April 14, 1922, to the late Herman and Blanche Laugenour Brown. She is survived by her sister, Jean Brown Stinson of Hamlet, and her sister-in-law, Jewell Brown, of Troutman. Also surviving are her nephews and nieces, Susan Sloop Sturkie and husband, Dick, of Columbia, S.C.; Barry Sloop of Columbia, S.C.; Elaine Stinson White and husband, Steve, of Cullowhee; Larry Stinson and wife, Mary Ellen, of Marshville; Linda Stinson Kirks and husband, Chris, of Raleigh; Phil Brown and wife, Jane, of Troutman; and Libby Brown of Winston-Salem. She is also survived by her great- nieces and -nephews, Rebecca and Christopher Sloop, Trey Sturkie, Sarah, Daniel and David White and William and Claire Brown. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Nina Brown Sloop, and husband, Hugh "Bub" Sloop, of Mooresville, and brother-in-law, Bryson Stinson of Hamlet and brother, Philip Brown of Troutman. At four months of age, Corinne was stricken with polio and left severely handicapped. Because of God's blessings, she said that her happy, fun-loving spirit failed to notice her limitations and she led a full and eventful life. She was a native of Troutman. She graduated from Troutman High School and attended Mitchell College, studying art with Louise Gilbert. She was employed by Troutman Chair Company as a payroll clerk. At the age of 33, Corinne decided she was ready to drive and bought a car adapted with hand controls. It was during this endeavor that she became secretary to the North Carolina Paraplegia Association and was part of a successful drive to make colleges accessible to the handicapped. She worked as a bookkeeper for dermatologists Drs. Steiger, Mitchener and Newton in Charlotte from 1956 to 1971. Her hobbies and interests included gourmet cooking, bird watching, bonsai, reading, genealogy and writing poetry. She served as secretary to the Bonsai Society of N.C. Corinne was a charter member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Charlotte and returned to her home church, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Troutman, in her later years. Corinne has told much of her life story and family history in poetry which she calls "ditties" (a license to be trite). She left the following poem: Farewell to Loved Ones Today, I'll be taking my first steps with God, Forgetting the faltering ones I have trod. I'll soar with the Eagles and leap with the Hart; So please do not grieve just because we must part, My life has been happy, because of your love, Now, the ultimate welcome has come from above Let us rejoice as we say our goodbyes As he gently beckons and I arise. - Corinne Brown Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. today at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 225 Morgan St., Troutman, with the Rev. Dr. David R. Keck Sr. officiating. Burial will follow in St. Michael's Cemetery in Troutman. The family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. at the church prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 308, Troutman NC, and The N.C. Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks, 820 Klumac Road, Salisbury, NC 28145 or the charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to the family at troutmanfuner al@bellsouth.net. Troutman Funeral Home is serving the family of Miss Brown.