Evelyn Margaret Graham Brown, 83, of Tangier passed away the evening of Monday, May 31, 2021, at her home.
Born Jan. 30, 1938, to Andrew and Lily (James) Graham in Forfar, Angus, Scotland, she attended Forfar Academy and St. Andrews University in Scotland. She grew up at 83 Graham Crescent, where she could look out at the nearby loch in the back and the cricket pitch in the front.
At Forfar Academy, Evelyn was head of her class (three-way tie) and took honors in Latin.
She was the captain of the Forfar Academy field hockey team, studied ballet and competed in Scottish country dance competitions. Evelyn studied pipe organ and piano with her beloved teacher Mr. Bernard and was very active in scouting, where she earned the distinction of First Class Girl Guide. At St. Andrews, Evelyn was a foil fencer and the captain of the St. Andrews women’s fencing team, which won the national championship in 1959. She continued to dance as a part of the St. Andrews country dancing group. It was at St. Andrews that she met Bruce Brown, who found an excuse to introduce himself when he passed her a note in the hallway. Evelyn graduated with a degree in Languages and went on to complete her teacher’s training at St. Andrews Teachers College before returning to Forfar to teach primary school. Continuing her involvement with scouting, she became a leader in the Girl Guides and enjoyed having her nieces Lyn and Pam in her group. She would later be a Girl Scout Leader in Indiana, leading her daughters’ troops and working with other area groups over the years at Red Bud day camp.
Evelyn married Bruce at St. Margaret’s Church in Forfar, Scotland on Sept. 22, 1962. After splitting time between Indiana and Scotland for a few years, they settled into their current home in 1970. They raised five children on the place they named Strathmore Farm. Evelyn was a member of Tangier Friends Church, where she taught Sunday School classes and played the piano and organ. She partnered with her sister-in-law Mary Woods in a painting and wallpapering business, which they enjoyed together for many years.
Evelyn is survived by her husband Bruce Hadley Brown and their children, Andrew (Lori) Brown of Tangier, Alyson (Matt) Brown Navarro of Jersey City, New Jersey, Mary Brown Moore of Clayton, Robert (Sabrina) Brown of Rockville and Graham (Susan) Brown of Carmel. She is also survived by grandchildren, Elise (Jeff) Koning, Colin (Bethany) Brown, Ashley (Troy Telford) Vandivier, Gavin Brown, Ian Brown, Kaden Brown, Noah Navarro, Maya Navarro, Hadley Moore and Griffin Brown; great-grandchildren, Aiden Abney, Theodore Telford and Gatlin Telford; special nieces and nephew in Scotland Roselyn McGhee, Pamela McFarlane, Evelyn McPhee and Andrew McPhee; and many other beloved nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew and Lily Graham; sisters, Lily (Lewis) McPhee and Agnes “Nan” (Ron) Wade; and brother Henry “Harry” (Audrey) Graham; sister-in-law Patricia Brown; brothers-in-law, Parke M. Brown and Richard Woods; and son-in-law Jim Moore.
Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Friday, June at Barnes and Rice Funeral Home, Rockville. Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, June 5 at the Tangier Friends Church in Tangier with burial at the Tangier Cemetery immediately following.
Contributions in Evelyn’s honor can be made to the Covered Bridge Girl Scouts, 1100 Girl Scout Lane, Terre Haute, IN 47807; Tangier Friends Church, 4020 W. C.R. 1050N, Tangier, IN 47952; or the Tangier Cemetery Fund, 3493 W. C.R. 1050N, Tangier, IN 47952.
