Mary Amelia Brown
Mary Amelia Brown, age 98, of Waynesboro, Virginia, passed away peacefully at the Hospice of the Shenandoah’s Shenandoah House on June 25, 2024.
The eldest child of Rose and Salvatore Carilli, Mary was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on November 6, 1925. However, her real home was Wilmington, Delaware, where along with her two sisters and brother, she grew up in the loving embrace of a large extended family. After graduating from St. Paul’s Commercial School, Mary went to work for Victor Lynn Transportation as secretary and office manager and was so efficient at her job it took three people to replace her when she left.
In 1951, Mary met the love of her life, Paul Brown and began a new chapter as the wife of a civil engineer. While her husband oversaw the construction of bridges and tunnels throughout the southeast, Mary seamlessly managed the ins and outs of moving a growing family over 15 times. In each new location, she created a lovely, warm home environment.
In 1969, the construction of the I-64 bridges on Afton Mountain brought the family to Waynesboro and they decided to put down roots in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Then in the early 1970’s, Mary, an expert seamstress and lover of fashion, opened a boutique dress shop, Brown’s of Fishersville, in an old home in Fishersville. Customers from Charlottesville, Lexington, and Harrisonburg were drawn to the shop and the lovely clothes Mary selected during her buying trips to NYC.
Mary remained active later in life, volunteering twice a week at the Augusta County Library for over 30 years. A week before her passing, she was working jigsaw and crossword puzzles, playing gin rummy and beating her daughter at Scrabble.
In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Paul D. Brown; her son, David A. Brown; her sister, Yolanda Welsh and her brother, Ernest Carilli.
Mary will be held in loving memory by her surviving daughter, Victoria Brown; her grandchildren, Christopher Brown and Morgan Brown, all of VA; her sister, Betty Peck (Scott) of DE, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Committal will be private. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Wilmington, DE.
The family would like to thank the Augusta Health nursing staff and Hospice of the Shenandoah for their caring dedication, with a special thank you to the earth angels at the Shenandoah House.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Augusta County Library, 1759 Jefferson Highway, Fishersville, VA 22939 or to the Shenandoah House c/o Augusta Health Foundation, P.O. Box 1000, Fishersville, VA 22939.
Condolences may be expressed online at the McDow Funeral Home’s website at https://www.mcdowfuneralhomeinc.com/
