eulogy

Home and Family

On August 28, 1955 the home of George Erskine Brown and Albertha Brown nee Smikle – nestled in the cool hills of Scarborough St. Ann – was never to be the same again as their first daughter Genevieve Valerie Brown was born. She was the 5th of 10 children. Genevieve’s father named her after a French Actress. Some people are of the notion that names are self-fulfilling, well they might be on to something in this case, as throughout her life, Genevieve carried a celebrity-like magnetism, so much so, that she has left an indelible mark on everyone with whom she made an encounter.

Genevieve, or “Gennie” as she was affectionately called, was the only girl in the home for the first 10 years of her life. While she immensely enjoyed the company of her 4 older brothers; she yearned
for a little sister, so much so, that she prayed about it and waited patiently. Much to her delight, her prayers were answered with the birth of the 7th child – her baby sister Ernesta.

As you can imagine, the Browns’ household was buzzing with activity as each child had their respective chores and Gennie, being the only girl in the house for a long time, had to assist her mother in the kitchen. Her mother was an excellent cook. This may have been the reason Gennie eventually chose Food and Nutrition and Home Economics as career paths.

Education and Early Career
Genevieve’s education began at an early childhood institution run by Ms Henny in Scarborough when she was 2 years old. She later moved to Charlton Infant School and All Age School. In the year 1967, Gennie earned a space at the most prestigious High School in St. Ann, York Castle High School, situated on a hill in Egypt, Brown’s Town.

In 1973 she pursued higher learning at Jamaica School of Agriculture (JSA) located at Twickenham Park St. Catherine (now renamed CASE ) where she pursued studies in Home Economics. She graduated in 1976.

The 1970’s was an eventful decade for Jamaica and the rest of the world. It was no different in the life of Genevieve. The early to mid-1970s was when she achieved many accolades, and started to chart her course in humanity. Gennie had always been a creative young lady and a critical thinker. She also gravitated towards uplifting activities.

It was therefore no surprise that in 1973 she was named 4H-Clubs Girl of the Year. According to the Jamaica Gleaner publication at the time, Genevieve – along with the Boy of the Year – was chosen from a field of 32 contestants who represented clubs throughout the island. Gennie represented the Claremont Area Land Authority 4-H Advisory Council.

Her winning streak did not stop there, and in that very same year she was crowned Miss St. Ann, and eventually Miss Jamaica Farm Queen. Her love for pageantry was also evident in her daughters’ participation in similar activities. When Tamra was 6 she entered her in the Miss Alexandria competition, and in 2004 her daughters Yolande and Patrice were both contestants in the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition, representing St. James and St. Elizabeth respectively. At the end of the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition 2004, Gennie was greeted by veteran comedian Oliver Samuels who remarked “Genevieve Brown, ah your daughter dem deh fi true!”

Career and Human Development
For Genevieve, the 1970’s was also the decade when she would begin to make a meaningful impact on humanity through her own career development. Her first job was with the Social Development Commission as a Field Officer focussing on Home Economics in the community of Mafoota, St James.

It was during her early career that she was nicknamed “The Gentle Giant” as she was never loud, very respectful, but certainly no ‘push-over’. Another of her most endearing names was “Ghetto Angel”.

The residents with whom she interacted called her “Ghetto Angel” because of what she meant to them. She would teach innovation and impart good life skills to them. She taught the women to “tun dem han’ and mek fashion” by preparing scrumptious meals for their families and preserving excess farm produce to avoid spoilage.

She also empowered the men by dissuading them from stealing and harming others. She was famous for saying to them: “Instead of using a knife to cut a man, use that same knife to carve out a man and sell the carving.”

In the late 1970’s she returned to her home parish and began work with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Land Authority of Jamaica [now called Rural Agricultural Development Authority – RADA] as an Agricultural Extension Officer specializing Home Economics. She was assigned to the “Rural Farm Family and Home Development Programme” in the Alexandria Division. She was later transferred permanently to St Mary to perform in similar capacity in 1988.

Incidentally, 1988 was also the year she won the “Year of the Worker” award for her contribution to culture.

In 1990, after 14 years of rural agricultural and community development experience, Genevieve joined the academic staff at the [then] Islington High School, now renamed ‘Horace Clarke High School.’

At Islington High, she wholeheartedly dedicated over 25 years of her life to moulding the lives of youngsters who attended the institution. While she loved her female students, however, she had a special place in her heart for the males, especially those whom their families and society had given up on.
Nothing was too good for her students to learn, and for her, the teaching/learning experience far exceeded the limits of the classroom into what she often described as ‘reasoning’ sessions.

She was a true ‘facilitator of learning’ and would go the extra mile to eliminate any barrier that stood between her students and their ability to learn. She would often send notes home to students who were very ill, or have unofficial remedial reading classes with students who were unable to read, taking them from barely being able to read and write to a point where they could spell words such as “streptococcus.” She also sacrificed weekends and public holidays to ensure that her students were prepared for their various assessments. She always spoke highly of her past students, many of whom now leaders in their respective professions.

During her tenure at Islington High, she also served as the Public Relations Officer for the school’s PTA. During that time she played an integral role in ensuring the publicity of the school as well as advocating for the empowering of parents. She also was integral in the execution of a live Outside Broadcast at the school by a prominent radio station.

Her Children and grandchildren
On the topic of parenting, nothing gave Gennie more pleasure than to speak about her “daughterrrsss” (a word only Gennie could pronounce). Many of her life choices and countless sacrifices were for her precious girls. She had a great level of love and pride when she spoke of them.

She was also a proud Grandmother who interacted with her grandchildren with great love, care and amazement. She would boast about her big grandson being in Med School and her Genius little grandbaby. She spoke with gleam about her beautiful granddaughter.

Woman of God
Genevieve had always been a spiritual and prayerful person, and she wanted to ensure that her spiritual life was just as flourishing as the other facets of her life. In the mid 1990’s, she surrendered her life totally to the Lord, a decision that she has neither regretted nor rescinded. She was a choir member and an ardent member of her church community. She loved attending church conventions and conferences. She even traveled to the USA to attend the T.D Jakes’ Woman Thou Art Loosed Conference.

Gennie: The Multifaceted Lover of Life and Phenomenal Woman
Genieve was an active participant in life and she was always seeking to improve her skills and knowledge. She loved to attend Expos (she never missed any of the major ones). She always attended the Denbigh Agricultural show and in the Gray’s Inn Show Agricultural Show in St. Mary. She never missed the opportunity to meet new people and learn from them.

Her talent knew no bounds. Her multifaceted nature was evident in her love for all things beautiful, and in her ability to ‘create’ these beautiful things. Apart from being an excellent cook and fashion designer, She was also a wonderful musician with the ability to play the guitar and the piano. She was also gifted with the written and spoken word, so she wrote award-winning and applaud evoking poetry that she or her children would perform.

Gennie was a Phenomenal Woman who maintained a positive outlook on life. She never saw that glass as “half empty”, instead; it was always “half full”. She was an advocate for the healing power of “Love”, an act that she displayed every day of her life. Genevieve was her own prototype. She danced to the beat of her own drum. She was a stately woman who could walk with Kings but never lose the ‘common touch’. Indeed, she was “Larger Than Life’. She was loved and respected all.

On Sunday October 04, 2020 at 5:40 pm her saviour called her home from her earthly toil.

She has left behind: her daughters: Stacey Ann, Tamra, Yolande, Patrice and Jhaneille. Son-in-law Jeffrey, grandchildren: Andre, Nathan and Amoy; 7 brothers, 2 sisters, a host of other relatives and friends.

May her soul Rest In Peace and light perpetual shine upon her.