Willow Glen Resident

Community

Photograph courtesy of Brown family

Cuddle time: Margaret Chase Brown is seen enjoying a moment with her youngest grandchildren Russell and Christina Brown.

Margaret Chase Brown believed in the importance of literacy

By Alicia Upano

Margaret Chase Brown was a woman ahead of her time.

Brown went to college in the 1940s, when coeds were few. She joined the war effort during World War II by enlisting in the U.S. Navy. Later in life, she participated in the American Association of University Women and women's groups at Stone Church of Willow Glen.

On July 5, Margaret died of complications from cancer. She was 84.

"I used to refer to her as the original women's libber," her husband, Warren Brown, said. "She was very conscious of the fact that there were glass ceilings for women. I heard about it quite frequently, long before people burned their bras and marched."

Margaret poured her strengths and intellect into her family and community. The Browns moved to San Jose in the early 1970s, and Margaret became the cornerstone of her community on Current Drive in the Santa Teresa neighborhood. There, she doled out her kindness whether for babysitting children or pet-sitting dogs, cats and cockatiels.

Family members remember Margaret as a woman who was always supportive, an avid reader with a down-to-earth personality who would make the most delicious lemon squares from the Meyer lemon tree in her back yard.

Born on April 20, 1922 in Montrose, Colo., Margaret grew up on a farm during the difficult years of the Great Depression. She graduated from Montrose County High School in 1939 and pursued a bachelor's degree in home economics at Colorado State College in Fort Collins, Colo. Brown received her degree in 1944, the same year she joined the U.S. Navy WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

WAVES was a Navy division that accepted women during the "emergency" of war. In 1942, Eleanor Roosevelt lobbied Congress to establish a women's division in the Navy. The Women's Army Corps had been created, and two months later Mildred H. McAfee became the Navy's first female commissioned officer and first director of the WAVES.

During the war years, more than 100,000 women completed basic and advanced training at more than 40 different Navy schools, including those that once exclusively catered to men. A large number of WAVES did clerical work, but others took positions in other professions, including aviation, medical, communications, intelligence, science and technology.

Margaret Brown was trained in New York and stationed at a naval hospital in San Diego as a Pharmacist Mate 3rd Class.

After the war, Margaret returned to Colorado and became a flight attendant for Western Airlines.

Warren Brown, who had not joined the military because he lost a leg as a child, was working in Denver at the time. He went on a picnic with friends and met Margaret.

"I walked Margaret to the door, and she closed the screen door pretty fast," Warren said, laughing at the memory.

The couple married in 1949, and Margaret was forced to quit her job with the airline because she was married. She then became a kindergarten teacher in Denver and later in Arlington, Va.

Her husband's work with the U.S. Postal Service prompted the couple to move frequently.

For the most part, however, Margaret opted to be a homemaker. The couple had three children, Janet, now 55; Robert, 52; and Thomas, 50.

The family moved to San Jose in 1972, and Margaret wasted little time getting involved in the community. She was a member of Stone Church of Willow Glen for more than 25 years. In the AAUW, which is based in Willow Glen, she was active in the association's book club.

Among Margaret Brown's favorite reads were the National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, The New Yorker and the New York Times book review section.

Daughter-in-law Maureen Hoatlin, who lives in Oregon with her husband, Thomas, remembers coming to visit Margaret in San Jose.

"It was like going to a fine bed and breakfast. She would bring a stack of books she selected that she thought I'd like," Hoatlin said.

While in town, Hoatlin said she and her mother-in-law "made a beeline" for Willow Glen, where Margaret loved to dine and shop. She was particularly fond of Hicklebee's, where she picked out books for her grandchildren.

This March, Margaret's doctors discovered her cancer that had metastasized to the bone and the condition was terminal. For a time, she received care from Hospice of the Valley, but just before July 4, her family brought her home, according to her wishes. She died on July 5, surrounded by the ones she loved.

"It's difficult for me to put into words exactly what she meant to me," Warren said. "She was an extra-special person. She's a great wife and a great friend."

Margaret is survived by her husband, Warren; children Janet Brown, Robert Brown and Thomas Brown; grandchildren Eloise Hoatlin, Ryan Donahue, Eric Brown, Christina and Russell Brown; and daughters-in-law Maureen Hoatlin and Nini Mendioro.

A memorial is scheduled for July 29 at 11 a.m. at the Stone Church of Willow Glen, 1937 Lincoln Ave. The family requests that donations in Margaret Brown's name be sent to the American Association of University Women San Jose Branch, 1165 Minnesota Ave., San Jose, CA 95125.