Obituary of Dorothy Spencer Brown

     Dorothy “Dot” Spencer Brown, 99, of Rome, New York, passed away peacefully on August 14, 2022. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Charles McDonnell Brown, a general surgeon whose practice was in Rome. She is survived by her children: Barbara Lynne Evans, Charles (Ann) Spencer Brown, Helen (Rob) Montana Tracy, Rev. Gene (Dee) McDonnell Brown, and Mark (Deborah) Richards Brown. One daughter, Dr. Marjorie Anne Brown, died in   1997. 

     Born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1923, Dorothy was the daughter of Methodist missionaries. Anti-American sentiment forced her family to move to Honolulu in 1940. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, her father, the Rev. Robert Spencer, was commissioned into the U.S. Army to teach Japanese and help with intelligence. Dorothy helped run the switchboards at the University of Hawaii, to prepare for a possible invasion. 

     Dorothy returned to the States and enrolled in Syracuse University, graduating with a degree in music education. She met her future husband there and they were married at Hendricks Chapel in 1945. 

     Dr. and Mrs. Brown moved to Rome in 1954, where he set up his practice. Dorothy began a lifetime of service: caring for Dr. Brown and their children, keeping the books at his office, and helping in their community. She was a volunteer for the Dogwood Twig, which aids Rome Hospital. She was a volunteer at Hospice & Palliative Care Inc., in New Hartford. She directed a children’s choir at the First United Methodist Church in Rome, where she was a faithful singer in the Senior Choir, helped with many church programs, and organized a food co-op. An avid seamstress, she taught sewing for several years at Stretch & Sew in New Hartford. She was a member of the Wednesday Morning Club for many years. She and her husband were members of Teugega Country Club and enjoyed golf and swimming. 

     Dr. Brown passed away in 2007. Dorothy moved to Acacia Village at the Masonic Care Community in 2011, where she started a newsletter for the residents and also took on the position of treasurer for the residents’ association. 

     Dorothy was predeceased by her three sisters: Dr. Mary Ann Pulaski of Port Washington, NY; Evelyn (Lynne) Lees of Lexington, MA; and Dr. Marjorie Norton of Montour Falls, NY. She leaves ten grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren, who remember her with love. 

     At her request, there will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Rome, NY on Saturday, September 24 at 10:00 a.m. with interment to follow at Rome Cemetery. Those who wish to remember Dorothy are asked to make donations to the First United Methodist Church in Rome.