Dear classmates, it is with great sadness that I need to tell everyone that our fellow classmate, Monica Brown, has passed away. She had a short illness, was only in the hospital a week, and passed away on January 14th. I know many of us knew Monica during our years at Mt. Holyoke, and others of us were lucky enough to get to know her during our last reunion. Monica told us how happy she was that she decided to come to reunion, and she participated in so many of our events (see photos of her during our cocktail hour, and then with the group who went birdwatching on Sunday morning).
I know I personally am so thankful that I got to spend that special time with Monica and get to know her better. She was a truly special person.
Below is the memorial that her best friend gave during the Celebration of Life service for Monica and I think it really gives us a good idea who Monica was. I know she will be greatly missed.
In loving memory of
Monica J. Brown
April 4, 1956 – January 14, 2023
Beloved daughter, cousin and friend
Monica Jo Brown was born on April 4, 1956, to proud parents Jesse Brown and Dorothy Brown (nee Lester). She joined a family that already included big brother Larry Brown. Both her parents, as well as her brother Larry, preceded her into eternal life.
Monica’s life journey and some of her accomplishments are best capsulized in the words of her dear friend of 54 years Joyce Brown (Senters), which reads as follows:
Our Life Together as Friends
My name is Joyce Brown (Senters) and I have had the amazing good fortune to have Monica Brown as one of my closest friends for almost 54 years. Monica and I met during our freshman year in high school when she joined me at the University of Chicago U-High Lab School. We became fast friends not only sharing the same last name but sharing a very similar sense of adolescent humor. As many of our U-High friends have pointed out, our surface personalities seemed so vastly different: I was loud and direct, and Monica was quiet and gracious. We balanced out each other and respected (often admired) each other’s personality traits.
Monica and I shared most everything and our two to three hour marathon telephone calls that began in high school, continued on through the years. We still “ran out of time” after talking/laughing on the phone for literally hours. We always had so much to talk about, like her excitement from attending several Riverdance performances (she loved Celtic music and dance) and being able to go backstage. Her interests and knowledge was so diverse we simply never ran out of things to talk about!
Monica and I proudly share the same last name and even have birthdays that were exactly a week apart. We called ourselves sisters and considered ourselves family. While I will miss her greatly….I am so very grateful to have had her in my life all of these years. We were so fortunate!
Monica’s Big and Beautiful Life
Monica Brown believed in the ultimate goodness of people and of the importance of serving God, people, and her community within her lifetime. She selflessly spent most of her daily life caring for her friends, her beautiful animals and her neighborhood. She often started her days sweeping and tidying her immediate neighborhood and willingly volunteered her time and expertise by joining several community organizations. She had great pride in her homestead and possessed a strong sense of servitude. No project that benefited the community was too big or too small for Monica to take on!
Monica was also a very accomplished, highly educated individual who truly embraced “lifelong” learning. She was exceptionally intellectual, and research oriented and was deeply appreciative of her parents for their support and sacrifices in order to afford her the opportunity to pursue her studies at some of the finest institutions of learning. When she was high school eligible, Monica was invited to enroll at the prestigious University of Chicago Laboratory School. There, she was exposed to John Dewey’s Constructive Education approach to education that focused on encouraging students to be “in charge” of their own learning facilitated by dedicated University faculty and supported by strong, collaborative classmates that shared in the “ inquiry learning journey” together. This new approach to learning and her strong connections to her classmates of 1973, fit Monica’s love of learning perfectly. She simply soared!
Upon her U-High graduation, Monica left the Chicago area to attend her beloved Mt Holyoke college in Massachusetts. After completing her undergraduate studies at Mt. Holyoke, she returned to Chicago area to pursue her Masters from University of Chicago. A few years after that, she began law school and was in the middle of her second year of studies when her mother became deathly ill. At that juncture, she made the decision to delay her studies so that she could care for her mother at home.
A few years later, she chose to delay her law degree aspirations again. At that time, she moved her ill father back into her home to care for him until his death. Determined to attain her goal of becoming a lawyer, Monica applied and returned to law school, obtaining a law degree from John Marshall. She was sworn in and admitted to the Illinois bar as a licensed, practicing attorney in May of 2014.
Monica was so rightfully proud of her education and used her advanced degrees and knowledge in the many prestigious professional positions she held in her lifetime. She served as a speech writer for Sen Paul Simon early in her career and ended her professional journey working for CMS. She also provided her expertise and diverse professional and personal skill set volunteering in several area non-profits organizations including her house of worship Fourth Presbyterian Church.
Monica’s thirst for knowledge and ongoing learning continued throughout her lifetime. She was meticulous in her approach to and was simply a wealth of knowledge on so many fronts. Monica was an amazing researcher and strove to learn as much as she could about any subject she pursued. One of her many self-learned accomplishments was cooking. She made everything from homemade ice creams to fine olive oil cakes.
Her love of animals (especially her Giant Schnauzer pups Bassie and Tatum) led her on many new learning adventures in the more recent past. She proudly took on the training of beloved Bassie to become a show dog and was very involved in that community for many years. She also took on a new endeavor about 10 years ago, raising chickens in her backyard. Monica worried and carried for her “girls” as if they were her own children. Monica cared for and loved countless stray, abandoned cats within her immediate neighborhood and worked tirelessly to research shelters for them to keep them safe and out of the cold.
Monica was devout in her religious beliefs and always strove to see the very best in people. She was remarkably kind and soft spoken and remained deliberate to her own, internal spiritual path. She was remarkable private, proud, and gracious even amid stress and strife. Monica believed and lived her religious doctrines every day of her life. Her presence on earth has made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many…. especially mine. Rest my dear friend, I will miss you more than you will ever know….
Monica leaves behind a host of cousins and other relatives, as well as all of you, her dear and wonderful friends, to cherish her precious memory.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Monica’s memory:
- Fourth Presbyterium Church – Meals Ministry
- Fourth Presbyterium Church – Mission and Ministry
- Chicago Lights
- Address for the above: Fourth Presbyterium Church, 126 E. Chestnut St. Chicago IL 60611
- On Line Giving: https://www.fourthchurch.org, go to giving tab
- On Line Giving; www.chicagolights.org , go to donor tab
