Helen Augusta Weaver Brown was born on February 26, 1919, to Grady Michael and Bessie Dunston Weaver, and passed away peacefully in her home on March 17, 2019, at 100 years of age. She grew up in Gadsden, Alabama, and later attended the University of Montevallo and Auburn University. Helen taught for 29 years at Auburn University as an Assistant Professor in Vocational and Adult Education, where she received the College of Education’s Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Award.
Helen’s family is most proud of her tireless efforts to serve her church and her community. She was active in the ministries of the Methodist Churches in Gadsden and Montevallo, and in the First Baptist Churches of Tuskegee and Auburn. Helen led the Jail Ministry of Auburn First Baptist Church, now named the Helen W. Brown Jail Ministry, for 30 years.
Each Thursday, she met with inmates to lead them in Bible study, prayer, and music, and to assure them of God’s unconditional love for them. The jail’s library is now named the Helen Brown Library in her honor. Other recognition of the Jail Ministry came from Prison Fellowship and from the Alabama State Senate.
In addition to her work at the Lee County Jail, Helen served Auburn First Baptist through her work with the Mary Martha Sunday School Class, which she taught for 52 years, her service as a Lifetime Deacon, and her work on countless church committees. Helen also contributed to the community through her work with Civitan, and was recognized a number of times as Civitan of the Year. Helen received Civitan’s highest honor, Civitan International’s Civitan Research Center Fellow award in recognition of her extraordinary leadership and community service.
In addition, she received three community service awards through the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter, and the National Society of DAR recognized her work through their national achievement award for outstanding community service. Helen loved her friends, and established close relationships with many in the community. She attended the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University, rarely missing a seminar for 28 years.
She enjoyed her Wednesday Bridge Club, her friends in the Village Friends organization, and her work with the Hospital Auxiliary. The Women’s Club recently awarded Helen “Life Member” status, the highest honor bestowed by the club on a member. Helen was preceded in death by her loving husband, Tom Conner Brown, her parents Grady Michael and Bessie Dunston Weaver, and her two sisters, Ruth Weaver Heller and Bettye Weaver Thompson.
Helen’s daily presence will be greatly missed by her three children, Helen Virginia Brown Radford (Richard), Martha Brown League (Roger), and Tom Conner Brown (Judie), her 13 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren, six great-great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. Each one has benefitted from her love and presence in their lives, and from the outstanding example of service and Christian love that she demonstrated through her constant work for others. A memorial service will be held at Auburn First Baptist Church on Saturday, March 23, at 1:00.
Visitation will follow the service in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Helen W. Brown Jail Ministry at Auburn First Baptist Church or to the East Alabama Food Bank. Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home directing.
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