Mother Annie Parker Brown entered into eternal rest on Sunday, September 17, 2017 in the home of her son and daughter in law, Nathaniel and Mildred Brown.

Annie was born on June 20,1912 to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Moses and Martha Parker. She was the youngest of three children, and was raised and educated in the Oakwood section of Norfolk, where she resided her entire life. She married Nathaniel Brown Sr and, together, they raised eight children.

Mother was a loving nurturer and mother, not only to her husband and children, but to all of those she encountered. Her nurturing and maternal characteristics are ones that she would maintain and be known for in the years to come. In accordance with Hebrews 12:14, Annie was very conscious of keeping peace amongst her fellow men and being proactive in taking care to not offend anyone. She would often say, “I beg your pardon”, to ensure she was in good standing with everyone. Annie embraced her culture and occasionally shared stories of her Blackfoot Indian Native American ancestry. One of the memorable things that she would often share was the Indian nickname of her midwife mother, “Bipeep.”

In addition to being a bible scholar in her own right, Annie was also an educator through life lessons. She embraced and took on every opportunity to share the love of God, and her life experiences, with her beloved children and grandchildren (through her lineage as well as those inherited through the marriages of her children) and others. In 2012, Annie was invited by a Norfolk Public School System administrator as a distinguished guest during Black History Month. As a keynote speaker at the assembly, she took time to share her life story and answer questions from hundreds of students in an effort to give back to the community. As in everything, she was well received.

Annie was also a lover of animals. She had many two and four-legged “family” members over the course of her life. One of the most memorable of those family members being FeeFee, her pet spider monkey. Annie and FeeFee would spend hours upon hours sitting on her front porch, waving at the passing cars. Another of her beloved animals was her poodle who she affectionately named “Fast Dog,” a testament to his behavior whenever the phone would ring or there was a knock at the door.

Mother was very well known in Virginia. In fact, in her final years, she was highlighted in the local paper annually as a beloved centurion in the community. A philanthropist and humanitarian in her own right, she used her resources and personal estate to provide homes and places of worship to many.

Proverbs 31:10 states: “Who can find a virtuous woman? Her price is far above rubies.” This encompassed Annie Brown; a virtuous woman who loved God and his people and served in many areas of the churches she attended, including the historic Oakwood Chapel Community Church. She was an anointed vocalist, soloist, preacher, teacher, and also served as a missionary. Lastly, she was the head Mother of her final church home, New Beginnings Prophetic Outreach Ministry, under the leadership of Apostle Regina U. Gandy. There, she continued to sing, preach, and teach until the Lord called her home.

Annie was preceded in death by her parents, Moses and Martha Parker; two sisters, Louvinia White and Carol Yowens; husband Nathaniel Brown Sr.; and her son Rev. William H. Green Sr.

She leaves to cherish her memory seven loving children: Flora Jeanette Bowman, Ollie (late Raymond) Brown, Carolyn (Don) Teagle, Willie (Helen) Brown, Nathaniel (Mildred) Brown Jr., Milton (Deborah) Brown, Debra (Raymont) Jackson; a daughter-in-law Gertrude (of late William Greene); 26 grandchildren, over 30 great-grandchildren, over 50 great-great grandchildren, and 5 great-great-great grandchildren, spanning 5 generations in total.

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