Mary Elizabeth "Bunny" Brown

Mary Elizabeth Brown, age 75, was born October 26, 1941, in Pocahontas, Arkansas, to Basil Johnson and Ruth Evelyn (Witherell) Thompson. She passed away October 6, 2017, from a battle with cancer.

Bunny grew up in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and graduated from St. Paul Catholic High School in 1959. She then started Nursing School at St. Joseph School of Nursing in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated as an RN in 1962. She met the love of her life, Thomas Brown, and they were married December 18, 1965, in Pocahontas, Arkansas.

Bunny worked as a nurse for several years at St. John’s Hospital in St. Louis. When she became a mother, she stayed at home raising her children and helping Tom out at his Chiropractic office. After her children started school, she began working at Mercy Hospital in Mansfield, and later as a hospice nurse, where she inspired many lives by her gentle touch and encouraging words.

Bunny loved reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. As a faithful parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, she was actively involved and served in many volunteer positions. She was always sending a card or making a phone call to lift someone up or give them encouraging words. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. We will all miss her welcoming hugs and beautiful smile.

She is preceded in death by her parents, an infant daughter, Jennifer Lee Brown, a brother, Timothy Thompson, an infant sister, Catherine Gene Thompson, and a brother-in-law, Charles Anger.

Bunny is survived by her husband of 51 years, Dr. Thomas Brown of the home in Mtn. Grove, Missouri, her children, John Roach and his wife, Kristina Waldmann, of Detroit, Michigan, Shawn Brown and his wife, Lana, of Houston, Missouri, Holly McCleary and her husband, J.J. (Jim), of Mountain Grove, Missouri, and Matthew Brown and his wife, Dana, of Barnegat, New Jersey, eleven grandchildren, Collin, Nikki, Justin, Shelby (Nathan), Cory, Patrick, Kelsey, Nick, Bella, Coulter and T.J., six great-grandchildren, Lyla, Caroline, Lauren, Bryson, Harper, Gracie, and another one on the way in January, two brothers, Terry Thompson of Fort Worth, Texas, Jack Thompson and his wife, Arlene, of Naples, Florida, two sisters, Beverly Anger and Jill Henderson of Pocahontas, Arkansas, and other church family, neighbors, and friends who will greatly miss her.