Celebration of Life Service for Minister Dr. Betty Brown will be held on Sunday, August 14, 2022, 2:00PM at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 4000 Thurman Tanner Road, Flowery, Brach, Georgia 30542. Rev. Dr. Emerson Ross, pastor. Interment Mount Zion Baptist Church Cemetery.
Visitation Saturday, Mount Zion Baptist Church, 2:00pm-4:00pm
Family and friends will assemble at the church at 1:30pm on the day of the service.
Minister Dr. Bettye Jean Hall Brown was born on July 30, 1943, to the union of George and Sally Hall in Little Rock, Arkansas. Bettye was proceeded in death by her parents, and a brother, George Eddie Hall, Jr.
The family resided in Little Rock until 1953, when they all relocated to Cleveland, OH, where Bettye and her brother entered the Cleveland Public School System. It was there Bettye developed an interest in competing in oracle contests. She competed in and won numerous contests including local, regional, and national events through Toastmaster’s, Business & Professional Women organization, and the National Baptist Convention, to name a few.
Dr. Brown graduated from East High School in Cleveland, and was accepted into Case Western University, from which she graduated 4 years later with a Bachelors’ Degree in Psychology. From there she attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was awarded a Masters’ Degree in General Psychology and ultimately a Ph.D. in Psychology. Dr. Brown was mentored by her major professor, Dr, Louis West, who was instrumental in helping her secure the position of Director of the Mental Health Clinic, where she remained throughout her 25 years in California.
From an early age, Bettye was involved in the church, and had a devotion to the Lord which she demonstrated in her words, works and wisdom. She spoke about the Lord to anyone who would listen about the goodness of God, even until her final days.
Dr. Brown discovered she had a talent and passion for writing religious plays. She wrote and directed “No Greater Love” – the story of the birth of Jesus, “Job, Blessed”, and “For God So Loved the World” – the story of the crucifixion of Christ. She was able to direct and showcase these plays in her churches in California, Arkansas, and Georgia.
Dr. Brown met and married her husband, Jesse Brown, in Kansas City, Kansas in 1962, and to that union was born her one and only child, Tamora Renee Brown. Dr. Brown and her daughter moved from Kansas to Dallas, TX for a short time, Los Angeles, CA, and then back with family in Little Rock, AR. In Little Rock, Dr. Brown united with Canaan Missionary Baptist church, and remained active as the Choir Director of the Inspirational Adult Choir, and also involved in the youth ministry. Dr. Brown eventually moved back to Southern California where she remained from 1988 until 2012 at which time, she decided to retire from the Mental Health Center, and move back to Little Rock. After engaging in a conversation with Dr. Patricia Griffen, she was invited to apply for an Associate Professor position at Philander Smith College, which she accepted and remained from 2013 until she retired in 2018. She enjoyed the relationships she was able to forge with fellow professors and students, but after a few health scares and at the urging of her daughter, Dr. Brown relocated from Little Rock to Georgia, to live with her daughter in Buford, GA. She was able to find a wonderful church home and family with Mt. Zion Baptist Church, where she was able to fulfill her calling and join the ministry team under Rev. Dr. Emerson Ross. Dr. Brown was a faithful member and truly was a Disciple of the Lord until her passing.
Dr. Brown leaves to cherish her loving memories a daughter, Tamora Guinn; her extended family who loved and also helped take care of her in her final years’, Mandrill Hale (whom she thought of as a son-in-law) and Damon Hale (who she thought of as a son); lifelong friends, Shirley Levy and Sherrye Keaton, and a host of family and friends who mourn her passing. All cannot be named, but everyone who she came in contact with held a special place in her heart.
