Gladys Brown

Gladys Chadwell Brown, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and community member died on Saturday, September 13, 2014 after ninety-two years of service, generosity, and adventure. That adventure began in Sturgeon, Kentucky, where Gladys, the oldest child of John and Pearl Kidd Chadwell, learned the courage, curiosity, and optimism that would characterize her entire life. These qualities helped her graduate from Berea College before WWII and begin her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse in Owsley County, Kentucky. Always eager to see and know more, Gladys answered an advertisement for an elementary teacher position in Clyde, North Carolina, and – courageous again – rode a train from Kentucky to Clyde. Clyde Elementary became her teaching home for many years, and many students flourished under her smart and kind guidance. Gladys herself flourished in her new hometown, where she met and married the love of her life, Milton ("Bucky") Brown, raised a family, and shared her time and talents with the community that had welcomed her so warmly. A devoted member of Clyde First Baptist Church, Clyde Woman's Club, and Clyde Red Hat Society, Gladys also made time to volunteer for Hospice of Haywood County and the Haywood County Library. She expressed her creativity as an accomplished seamstress and quilter and her sense of adventure as an eager traveler alongside her husband. Remarkably, while raising three children and participating so fully in the life of the town, Gladys created a home that welcomed any and everybody, including all the neighborhood children and – later – all the school friends of her three children, for a hot meal and a safe, accepting place to play and rest. Gladys is survived by a large and loving family, who will deeply miss her elegant and kind spirit: her sons, David Brown and Becky of Asheville; John Brown and Carolyn of Sarasota, Florida; and daughter, Beverly Brown and Mary Beth Braker of Pittsboro; as well as grandchildren, Stephanie Brown and Chris Bravo of Berkeley, California, Laura Brown of Corvallis, Oregon, Austin Greene of Raleigh, and Matt Greene of Asheville. Gladys is predeceased by her beloved husband of sixty-four years and best friend, Milton Brown, as well as a brother, John Chadwell, Jr. of Sturgeon, KY, and a sister, Betty Chadwell Hobbs of Lake Worth, Florida. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 21, 2014 at Clyde First Baptist Church with the Reverend Dr. T. David Phillips and Reverend James Parham officiating. A reception and celebration of life will follow the service in the reception hall. A private family interment will be at Crawford/Ray Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to The Milton and Gladys Brown Scholarship Fund at the Clyde First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 356, Clyde, NC 28721.

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