Doris Lawhorn Brown

Doris Lawhorn Brown July 15, 1932 – November 1, 2025 Doris Lawhorn Brown passed away peacefully in hospice care in Memphis, Tennessee. She was born on July 15, 1932, in Morrison City, Tennessee, near Kingsport. Doris graduated from Dobyns-Bennett High School and attended East Tennessee State. She began her career as a secretary in the insurance industry in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to Memphis, where she became a legal secretary at Burch, Porter & Johnson. It was there she met her future husband, Bailey Brown, who was then a partner at the firm. After several years in Memphis, Doris relocated to Cocoa Beach, Florida, where she worked for Pan American World Airways in support of the early U.S. space program at Cape Canaveral. She was living there during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a time she often recalled vividly. While she was in Florida, Bailey was appointed to the federal bench in 1961. Doris later returned to Memphis and resumed her work at Burch, Porter & Johnson. Soon after, she and Bailey were married, and she devoted herself to her family and home-roles she treasured deeply throughout her life. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Judge Bailey Brown, who passed away in October 2004. She is survived by her son, Bailey Brown Jr. (Katerina), and two grandchildren, Bailey and Abigail, all of Boca Raton, Florida. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Canale Funeral Directors. A graveside service will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery. The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Methodist Hospice for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Doris, please visit our floral store.