Bettie Eva Adams was
born in Wendell, North Carolina on September 3, 1920 to the late Samuel and
Sophia Adams. On late Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2009, God softly and
gently called Bettie home to fulfill the vision previously given to her
that her name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Bettie Adams Brown,
88, entered into eternal rest peacefully surrounded by her loving
family. In 1937, Bettie was joined
in marriage to Percy Brown, Sr. She was a loving and devoted wife. To this
union, nine children were born. Affectionately known as "Muh Brown or
Mother Brown," she touched the lives of many through her consistent
example as a faithful, loving, and forgiving Christian woman and mother. As
a prayerful mother, she kept her children lifted up in prayer. Her greatest
desire was to see that all her children were saved. One of her favorite
quotations was: "If my children don't know God, it is not because I
have not told them."Bettie Browndeservedly earned the title of
"Mother Brown." Her motherly love extended way beyond her
immediate biological family. A great nephew, Steve, was raised from an
infant as her very own son. Shc willingly served as legal guardian for her
beloved nephew, Jimmy Bridges, throughout his last years in high school.
She lovingly and patiently cared for her beloved mother, Sophia Adams, in
the latter years of her life. Her home was always open to all children, her
extended family and the community. Many children spent time at the family
home on Old Bunn Road - some for the summers or some for a safe haven. She
was often an active second mom to many of her grandchildren, nieces, and
nephews.She accepted Christ at an early age. She was a lifetime devoted
member of Stokes Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. She was active as a
Sunday school teacher for 60 years, usher for 55 years, and deaconess. She
supported the General Baptist State Convention, Wake Baptist Association,
Wake Baptist Usher Union as Financial Secretary, and many other committees.
As she often says, "It is not the talk, but the walk."
"Faith without works is dead."Because of her steadfast example
and elder status, she served as Mother of the Church for many years until
her passing. Mother Brown took her Christian faith seriously. She not only
talked the talk, she walked the walk. A diligent student of the Bible, she
could teach and talk for hours on all aspects of the Bible. She has taught
and evangelized throughout the community and as far away as Guyana, South
America. Bettie never forgot her commitment first to God as a Christian,
and secondly as the Mother of the Church. Until the end, she faithfidly
told others about the good news of Jesus Christ through testimony and song.
Her favorite song was "Praise God." She was the right hand of her
husband Percy as he supported the family by farming and logging. In
addition to working in the fields, she also kept the books and managed the
accounts. They persevered side by side for many years. She continued to
manage crops of tobacco for a number of years after his death. For her excellent
record adaptation, she received commendations from Wake and Franklin
counties. She retired from Wake County Human Services where she was
employed for several years.Bettie Brown was the ultimate multitasker, years
before this word became popular. A typical day for her might include
cooking three meals with homemade biscuits, helping in the fields with the
tobacco crop, tending to the children, caring for her beloved mother and
harvesting vegetables from the garden. In her leisure time, she loved gardening
and fishing. For many years, she always had a beautiful display of flowers
in her front yard. Her beautiful vegetable gardens yielded enough harvest
to feed the family year in and year out. Fishing was one of her greatest
pleasures. Every now and then, she managed to steal away to the pond, drop
her fishing line into the water and enjoy the solitude. One of her greatest
joys was catching a large bass and she often did more so than others. She
was preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Percy Brown, Sr; a son,
Charles Brown, Sr. (Thelma); and two daughters, Sophie Brown Beaman
(Lloyd), and Ruth Brown Yelverion. Left to cherish her memory are two
daughters, Suzette Chiles (Jimmy) of Mitchellville, MD and Bettye Holden
(Rogene) of Wendell; five sons, Percy Brown, Jr. (Essie) and Steve Brown
(Meloney) of Raleigh; Johnnie E. Brown, Ted Brown (Tijuana) and Anthony
Brown (Geraldine) of Zebulon; two sisters, lantha Harris of Baltimore, MD
and Ruth Guerrant of Philadelphia, PA; a beloved cousin, Leo Merritt; a
dear friend, Catherine Wilder; twenty-four grandchildren, twenty-three
great-grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives and
friends. She will be sorely missed by friends and family alike.
