Obituary of Patricia Anne Brown

Patricia Anne (Murphy) Brown passed away on August 27, 2023. Throughout her life of almost 91 years, she brought so much joy to all who knew her, especially to her departed husband Charles Brown Jr., her six children, as well as to her extended family and friends. Her memory will always be a blessing to us.
Born in Detroit, Michigan to Judge Joseph Murphy and Isabel (Callahan) Murphy on December 29, 1932, Patricia was the eldest of four children, with siblings Joseph Jr., Micaela (Micky) Palms, and Mary Anastasia (Molly) Murphy. Patricia attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grosse Pointe from first grade through high school, graduating in 1950. She then majored in English at Manhattanville College, and after two years there, transferred to the University of Michigan, graduating in 1954. Her mother Isabel was also an alumna of the University of Michigan. Patricia enjoyed her two years in Ann Arbor, and after graduation, returned to New York City and began working at Macmillan Publishing. It was in New York that she met her future husband, Charles Brown Jr., in 1957. They married in 1958.
After living 17 years in Manhattan, Rye, New York, and Ridgewood, New Jersey, Patricia moved with her husband and children to the Catskill Mountains, where she spent nearly 50 years on their property in a house affectionately known by her grandchildren as the “White House.” With her friends, she established the Women’s Guild at St. Theresa’s parish in Windham, New York in 1975. She was an avid gardener, knitter, and world-traveler. A loving, gracious and gentle person, Patricia brought peace and joy to all of her family and friends.

 Patricia was truly an inspiration to all who knew her. She devoted herself to her husband, her family and her six children and their families – Archbishop Charles Brown III, Anne and Adnan Akay, Claire and James Capretta, Patricia (Trish) and George (Bud) Dunham, Grace and Roger Smyth, and Peter and Susan Brown. Her legacy also includes 22 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren, and her deep devotion to the Catholic Church. In these ways, she has indeed left her footprints on the sands of time.
Since 2017, Patricia had been living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her daughter Trish and Trish’s husband, Bud. For the last 15 months, she lived at the Decatur House, an assisted living residence in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Our family is deeply indebted for the caring and professional care given to Patricia during her stay at the Decatur House.
Funeral services in Windham, New York will include a wake at Decker Funeral Home on Friday September 1, 5pm-7pm, and a funeral Mass at her parish, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, on Saturday September 2, 2023 at 11:00am.