Joanne Obermiller Brown

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Joanne Obermiller Brown died at age 84 on January 16, 2017, at Springhouse Estates in Lower Gwynedd, PA. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sibling, friend and matriarch, as well as a committed feminist and person of vision. She was the eldest of eight children and spent her youth in Northeast Philadelphia, graduating from Little Flower High School in 1950. Joanne would often say that her greatest blessing and joy was finding true love twice in her life. Her first love was Louis Obermiller. They married and had one son together. Tragically, Louis died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma only 10 years into the marriage. Love came again a few years later when Joanne was working on her Bachelor’s degree at Rutgers University. There she met and married Dr. Clifford Brown, having distinguished herself as the star pupil in his philosophy class. They remained married and utterly inseparable for 47 years, until he died in June, 2015. They adopted and raised three children. Together, Joanne and Clifford lived daily the sacrament of marriage and performed many important roles in their extended family and community. At Our Mother of Consolation Church in Chestnut Hill, Joanne contributed liturgical and environmental improvements and shared her creative eye for beauty and balance in decor and liturgy. She was also devoted to the causes of the peace and justice committee and its efforts to awaken the social consciousness of parishioners and community members. Her work at OMC and her deep interest in the Catholic faith eventually inspired Joanne to take an MA in religious education at LaSalle University. At home, Joanne, was an avid reader and an excellent conversationalist who could discourse on every possible subject. She was especially interested in medicine, both traditional and nontraditional, and she was known for advising her family and friends on remedies for every possible ailment. Joanne is survived by three children: son Joseph Obermiller; daughters Jenny Shemwell and Amy Williams; and three grandchildren, Grace, Nathan and Isabelle Shemwell. She is mourned by four living siblings, all sisters: Kay Tanney, Mary Tanney, Terry Murray, and Jeanne Hughes. 3 brothers Jim, Danny, and Mike predeceased her. Relatives and friends may call at Our Mother of Consolation Church, 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Phila., PA 19118, Monday, February 13th at 9AM. Funeral Mass 10AM. Interment Valley Forge Memorial Gardens. In memorial, please make donations in Joanne Brown’s name to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297-0303 Crs.org or Our Mother of Consolation School Scholarship Fund,17 E. Chestnut Hill Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Death.Notice.Brown.020216.2x6_Layout 1 1/27/17 12:07 PM Page 1

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