Personal Documents Auntie Glady's Funeral Program | Page 2

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b i t u a r y

“To everything there is a season, and to every purpose under heaven; a time to be born,
and a time to die…” —Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2a

Gladys Louise Brown Davis

F

A Time to Be Accepted

riday, January 12, 1940 was an eventful day for Thomas and Viola Brown for they were blessed with their third
child and second daughter, Gladys Louise whose name literally means glorious flower. The Browns were residents of Cuthbert, Randolph County, Georgia but moved to Macon, Georgia for a better way of life when Gladys was about
three years old. Gladys’ only brother, Thomas Samuel Brown, Jr. and his son, Eugene preceded her in death in 1983 and
1992, respectively. This year 2014 would have been the year each of her parents would have reached their 100th birthday
were they still alive. Gladys’ mother departed this life in 2000 and, her father died in 2003.
The Brown family had been religiously affiliated with the Baptist Church, but joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church
in 1944 at the prompting of Mrs. Brown’s teenage sister, Marie Brannon Smith. Gladys accepted Christ as her Savior as
a young girl and took on an active part in many of the church’s ministries, but she thoroughly enjoyed serving as Sabbath
School Secretary and as a church pianist using her talent each Sabbath (Saturday) to the glory of God. Even as a youngster,
Gladys possessed entrepreneurial skills; she was inventive and insightful when it came to earning money. She worked on Sundays as a pianist for other churches and had various after school jobs.

G

A Time to Be Educated

ladys Louise Brown received her elementary and secondary education in the Bibb County Public School System.
She attended Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School through the third grade, which was its last year in existence.
Gladys and her younger siblings then transferred to Burl Simon Ingram Elementary School, where she was a school leader
and was graduated with honors from the seventh grade.
In the fall of 1953, Gladys Brown entered Ballard-Hudson Jr. High School as a bright and energetic eighth grader ready to
make her mark in life. While there were students from elementary schools all over the city of Macon, Gladys remained head
and shoulders above the rest academically. She moved expeditiously into the high school program with that same zealous