Martha Sue Brown

Martha Sue Brown was a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She was known as “Aunt Sue” to her nieces and nephews. She passed away peacefully in her home on October 10, 2024, at the age of 87. Martha Sue was born in Jay County, Indiana to Hasty Thurl and Edith Opal (Stevick) Brown on September 22, 1937, during the depression. During the Second World War, the family moved to Lima where her father worked in the US Army Tank Plant. In 1946, after the war ended, the family moved to Grand Junction, Colorado where she grew up and graduated from Central High School. Later she moved to Mississippi to further her education and work. 

Martha Sue worked 50 years in government positions starting in Gulf Port, MS and then Atlanta, GA where she made numerous lifelong friends and when one of them passed, she even adopted her cat, William. Virginia was her final home where she worked for the SBA in the Washington DC office before transferring to the Baltimore, MD office. She still kept in contact with her co-workers and volunteered at events. She was a woman ahead of her time, breaking glass ceilings and living life on her terms before women generally did. For this, we are grateful.

In 2005, she retired and spent many weekends with her friends putting together memories scrapbooking. The Arlington County 55+ group had the best day trips for her, exploring the area and just enjoying life. Everyone who knew Martha Sue has experienced her favorite meal of the day, lunch, so it is no wonder she enjoyed the At Home Alexandria (AHA) luncheons; she often indulged in the AHA Dine Arounds for dinner, too. She also advocated for women’s rights and was on Parkfairfax's transportation committee. Martha had a great sense of humor that she used to make others in the room comfortable, while also getting her point across. A lifelong advocate for women’s and equal rights, she sat on committees at the local and state level to bring awareness and justice to her community.

Her favorite tennis player was Rafael Nadal and often met friends at the local Silver Diner so they could watch Rafa play on the Tennis Channel, which she couldn’t access since she didn’t have cable TV. She also loved theatre, dance, and all the arts. Gardening was another of Martha’s passions, spending over a decade working her flower plot at Chinquapin Gardens.

Martha was a dear friend to both her friends and their children, all of whom will miss her dearly. She was also an animal lover who always had a kind word and treats for the neighborhood pets who walked by. A true southern woman, she was a natural connector and knew the comings and goings in her neighborhood in a way that was informative but not intrusive; we all felt grounded having Martha around.

She is survived by David (nephew) and Tammy Robinson, Kara (great niece) Robinson; Elly (great niece) and Adam Kenmir; Tom Hill and Sherrie (niece) Robinson; Todd Slaamot and Deb (niece) Hanson, Chris (great nephew) and Shianna Hanson; Aaron (great nephew) and Crystal Hanson; Michael Hanson (great nephew); Missy (great niece) and Alex Gilbertson; and ten(10) great-grand nieces and nephews as well as many friends she called her family.

Martha Sue was preceded in death by her parents Hasty Thurl and Edith Opal (Stevick) Brown; her sisters Mary Anna Brown, Naomi Jane Brown, Ruth (Brown) Robinson and husband Vernon Robinson, as well as Tommy Robinson, her nephew, grandparents and great grandparents.

Memorial services will be at the Cunningham Turch Funeral Home, Alexandria, Virginia, at 10 am, Friday, November 8, 2024. Interment will be at 2 pm at the Eco Eternity Forest alongside her sister, Naomi Jane Brown. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your favorite non-profit organization.