Annie Golden Brown, 94, a resident of Montgomery, passed away peacefully in her daughter’s home in Birmingham on Friday, Nov. 24. Funeral services for Ann will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2 from the Chapel of Turners Funeral Home with Pastor Robert Rhodes officiating. She will then be laid to rest beside her husband in Darien Cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday for one hour prior to the service. 

Ann was born on Dec. 23, 1928, just as the Roaring Twenties were drawing to a close and on the cusp of the Great Depression. Growing up during the difficult years of the Depression, which was then followed by the Second World War, taught her the true meaning of sacrifice and resilience and she carried those lessons with her for the rest of her life. She would later impart those same lessons to the children she had after she met and married the love of her life, Gary Brown. Together, they traveled throughout the United States and overseas while he served with the United States Air Force. After his retirement, they eventually moved to Montgomery, where they raised their children and she continued to live there for most of the remainder of her life. Ann took extreme pride in creating a loving and nurturing home for her family and had an open door policy for each generation that followed. You were definitely in luck too if she made you some of her homemade chicken and dumplings or red velvet cake, though she left all of the rest of the cooking to her husband.  She also believed in staying physically active, so she was an avid walker throughout her life, even into her 90s, and loved going square dancing with her husband when she was younger. Ann was always an animal lover, a trait her children inherited from her, and she especially loved the years she spent with her beloved feline companion, Whisper. She also emphasized to her children the importance of family, and loved nothing more than all the times she spent not only with her immediate loved ones but also her extended family. Family meant everything to her and she wanted to ensure that those family connections continued to remain strong through each generation that followed. 

Ann was the epitome of a southern lady, always full of class and grace, with unending patience and just the right amount of sass! She was definitely a character who would have felt right at home with the Golden Girls because she was blessed with an infectious personality. People were just naturally drawn to her and her laugh, which was so filled with genuine joy at the wonders of this life that it was impossible not to join her. Wherever she went, she was bound to make new friends and leave each of them more uplifted than before they met. That was truly her gift in life, this selfless nature and drive to take care of everyone. She always put everyone else ahead of herself and you really could never find a more supportive cheerleader in your life. Ann had a knack for helping others to put any “crisis” in perspective and find ways to cope and endure, like only those who grew up in difficult times like this country’s Greatest Generation could do. During troubled times, she was always going to be your first call and leave you far better off than you were before. She stayed involved in her children’s lives throughout her own life, but there was no one she loved more than her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Likewise, they all completely adored their “Mama Ann,” and cherished every moment they were able to spend together for all the decades they were blessed to have. Words cannot express how much they will all miss her because 94 years still doesn’t seem like enough time, but they know she is now rejoicing in her reunion with her beloved husband in their heavenly reward. 

Ann was preceded in death by her husband and soul mate, Gary L. Brown; parents, William Ross and Alzadie Morgan Golden; and siblings, Laura Golden Holladay and William Clayton Golden. She leaves behind to carry on her memory her children, Danielle Brown and Gary (Teresa) Brown; grandchildren, Jordan (Kaylin) Brown and Brianna (Justin) Daughtery; great-grandchildren, Riley Ann, Henley Grace, and Murphy; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends. 

Active pallbearers will be Gary Brown, Jordan Brown, Michael McLaney, Robert McLaney, Steve Berry, and Travis Kidd. 

Ann’s family is beyond grateful for the opportunity and time God provided them to return to her the care that she truly deserved after a lifetime of tender, loving care of others, especially her family. They would also like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to everyone who loved and cared for Ann the past few months and for the blessing of such devoted friends.