Mary Francis Brown

Mary Francis Brown was born on April 20, 1938, in Blountstown, Florida, to Hutchinson and Annie Mae Harris. She grew up in Port St. Joe, Florida, on the shores of St. Joseph Bay, raised by her mother and stepfather, Robert “Bubba” Wigham. The second of three children, she passed away on March 8, 2026.

A graduate of Port St. Joe High School, Mary Francis went on to attend Florida A&M University. She worked as a chef at the Bradenton Country Club, Morrison’s, and Piccadilly Cafeteria before retiring from Tropicana after more than twenty years. Cooking was her love language; she had a gift for turning simple ingredients into nourishing, heartfelt meals that brought comfort and joy to those around her. She also enjoyed the challenge of crossword puzzles and took quiet pleasure in dressing with personal style, nostalgia, and practicality.

She accepted Christ at an early age and remained deeply devoted to her faith throughout her life. A longtime active member of Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church, she served with dedication as an usher, church steward, trustee, member of the culinary team, Women’s Missionary Society, Lay Organization, Senior Adult ministry, and honorary choir member. In her final years she was appointed a deaconess, serving with compassion and spiritual care.

Mary Francis was a loving matriarch whose faith, grace, and selflessness guided her family. She is survived by her children, Deborah K. Hutchinson, Jasmine N. Parham (Warren), Pamela V. Hall (Freddie), and King H. Brown, Jr. (Kim); grandchildren, Travis A. Parham, Amanda Jackson-Belvin (Kenneth), and Kimberly K. Brown; great-grandchildren, La’Niyah H. Bostic, Kegan L. Belvin, Rhyland K. Washington, and Lady Kensleigh Belvin; and a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband King Horace Brown, Sr., her special daughter Connie Brown-Cox, her sister Dorothy Conley, and her brother Henry Wesley.