Jean Brown, a resident of Niles from 1957-1990 died in Phoenix, AZ after a long illness.  She was 85 years old. 

Born in Cobleskill, N.Y., she graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1938 and earned a Master's Degree from the State University of New York at Albany in 1942.  She taught English in the New York Public Schools before marrying John H. Brown in 1951.

She used to tell how one of her early teaching contracts was not renewed because the school system was unhappy that she taught poetry by Langston Hughes and other African-American poets.  Mr. Brown worked for Tyler Refrigeration in Cobleskill.  The family moved to Niles along with many other families when Tyler shifted its operations to Niles in 1957.

In the 1960's, Mrs. Brown taught at the Stanley Clark School in South Bend, Indiana.  In the 1970's, she taught at Buchanan High School, then Dowagiac High School and finished her career at Niles High School.  Her latter years of teaching were as a reading specialist, with particular emphasis on helping students with dyslexia.  Nothing gave her more pleasure than watching someone who had struggled with words, learn to read and enjoy books.  Retiring from teaching in 1981, she remained in the Niles area until 1992 when she moved to Arizona to be near her daughter Mimi.  She volunteered at the local library and particularly enjoyed reading to children both at the library and at local schools.  She enjoyed theatre, opera and even took singing lessons.  She was able to attend her 60th college reunion at Middlebury in 1998 which she greatly enjoyed.

She was preceded in death by her husband John in 1975.

She is survived by 3 children, Wilfred from Columbia, MD., Dr. Mary-Helene "Mimi" Brown of Phoenix, AZ., and Dwight of Del Rio, TX.; a sister- Phyllis Leonard of Winter Haven, FL.; a sister-in-law Helen Flack of Binghamton, N.Y. and two grandchildren.