Mary Agnes Snipes Brown was born on November 5, 1940, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Billie Daniel Snipes and Juanita Agnes Holley Snipes. Shortly after Mary’s birth, the family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where she grew up and attended elementary school, junior high school, and Dreher High School, graduating in 1958.

When Mary was only twelve years old, her father passed away from a heart attack. Faced with this tremendous loss, Mary, her mother, and her brother, Johnnie, leaned on their strong Christian faith, the love of their extended family, and the support of dear friends as they moved forward together.

Mary excelled academically throughout her life. She graduated from Dreher High School in 1958 and went on to attend the University of South Carolina, where she graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian of her graduating class in 1962.

In 1963, she married Gerald W. “Jerry” Brown, the son of the pastor of Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia, which Mary had attended since childhood. Together, they shared 63 wonderful years of marriage filled with faith, love, and devotion.

In 1969, Mary and Jerry welcomed their son, Mark Clayton Brown, into their family, and in 1971, they welcomed their daughter, Laura Elisabeth Brown.

Mary devoted her professional life to education, serving as both a teacher and school administrator in Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma. As Director of Even Start in Oklahoma, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to testify before a House committee, advocating for expanded educational opportunities and support for families and children.

Mary was also a devoted partner in ministry throughout Jerry’s years serving as Minister of Music in churches across Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma. She directed children’s choirs, taught Sunday School classes for teenagers, young adults, and older adults, and faithfully shared her love for Christ through her service and leadership.

A woman of deep faith, Mary touched countless lives through her work as an educator, church leader, mentor, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She was known for her kindness, wisdom, unwavering faith, and servant’s heart. Whether in the classroom, the church, or her home, Mary invested herself fully in the lives of others and left a lasting impact on everyone she met.

Mary is survived by her beloved husband, Gerald W. “Jerry” Brown; her son, Mark Clayton Brown, and his wife, Stacy; her daughter, Laura Elisabeth Lang, and her wife, Sarah; her son-in-law, George Lang; and her grandsons, Jayden Brown and Sam Lang, whom she dearly loved.

Mary’s legacy lives on in the thousands of students she taught, the churches she faithfully served, and the family and friends who were blessed by her life. Her enduring faith, compassionate spirit, and steadfast love will be remembered always.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Doctors Without Borders, and the Music Ministry of Quail Springs Baptist Church through https://qsbc.org/give.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” — Matthew 25:23

Forever loved, forever remembered.