Jean M. Brown

Jean Marie Brown passed away peacefully on Monday June 28, 2021, at the age of 80, in her home in White Plains, NY. Beloved mother, sister, grandmother and friend, it is no surprise that Jean considered her greatest accomplishment to be her children. Jean is survived by her brothers George Dale and Thomas Dale, her sister Marion Dale and her two sons, Joseph William Brown Jr and James Joseph Brown. Known to many as ‘Nana’, Jean is also survived by her grandchildren Alejandro Brown, Jason Brown, Joella Toro, Samuel Brown and Cris Brown.

Jean was born in Yonkers, raised in Hastings, and has spent most of her adult life in Westchester. Her father, George Dale, worked as an employee of Westchester Lighting, before it became Con Edison, and her mother, Mary Daley, was a homemaker born in County Clare, Ireland. Jean was the third of four children.

Jean independently raised two successful sons, Joseph who works as a civil engineer and James who works as a certified public accountant. While Jean’s sons were still young, she began working as a Clerk for the Social Services Department at Westchester County. In order to better support herself and her sons’ futures, Jean returned to school to complete her Associates of Science degree at Mercy College. Jean later went on to become an accountant, in a world prior to computers. Jean ultimately retired at the age of 55 from Westchester’s Ruth Taylor Geriatric and Rehabilitation Institute in Valhalla.

Post retirement, Jean loved spending time with her five grandchildren whom she helped raise. She counted each day alive as a blessing, promising to live each day to the fullest. She loved going on vacations with her family, reading mystery novels, solving crosswords and word search puzzles, knitting and playing mahjong. She was also an avid Tetris player on her Gameboy. “Never call Jean between 6 and 6:30 pm,” her sister jokes, “she will be praying the rosary”.

Jean was a devoted member of the community, participating in the church’s women’s club, the White Plains senior citizen’s center and even the local chapter of AARP. Her ability to instantly put a smile on anyone she met will truly be missed.