Wilma B. Brown

ENFIELD. Wilma Brown passed away peacefully at Cayuga Medical Center on May 12 after a lengthy illness. She was born in 1942 in Louisville, KY., the daughter of Estill C. and Mildred Bach Brandenburgh. Her professional training was in social work and included a B.S. from the University of Kentucky and an MSW from the University of Minnesota. She worked in settlement agencies in Minneapolis from 1966-70 and was also a foster parent to several teenage youth. She moved to the Ithaca area in 1970 with her family.

Wilma was a loving and dedicated mother who actively supported the various endeavors of her children. When they were small, she played a leading role in forming a nursery school in Enfield, and later served as a volunteer 4-H leader for many years. She was an avid gardener, and with her family operated a small farm in Enfield where she raised chickens and goats. Among her diverse interests were reading, discussions on a wide variety of topics, German language and culture, and travel.

Wilma was a member of the Ithaca Friends Meeting for over 40 years and also attended the Perry City Friends Meeting. She worked tirelessly as an advocate for peace, writing to her representatives, participating in the Quaker vigil at the foot of East State Street each Thursday afternoon, and joining a number of initiatives by the Ithaca Catholic Workers. In 2005, she led the way in bringing to Ithaca the American Friends Service Committee exhibit "Eyes Wide Open," which displayed a pair of empty boots for each U.S. soldier killed in the Iraq conflict up to that time, as well as footwear representing Iraqi civilian casualties.

Wilma is survived by her husband of 50 years, Tom, son Maury (Debbie Smith) and their children Emlen and Andra of Kansas City, MO; a daughter, Audrey (Khurram Khalil); a daughter, Lenora Schneller (Tom) and their children Julian and Theo; and a sister-in-law, Barbara Brown of Henderson, KY. A memorial service will be planned for a later date.