Annabelle "Tina"

Brown

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IN LOVING MEMORY

Annabelle "Tina" Brown

Apr 24 1941 - Dec 30 2016

Annabelle “Tina” Grinstead Emerson Brown of Plano, Texas, passed with peace and grace into the arms of her Lord and Savior on December 30th, 2016. She flew free from the suffering and pain of an eight-month battle of stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 75. She was a former long-time resident of McKinney, Texas.

 

Annabelle was born in North Hollywood, California, on April 24th, 1941, to society parents Fred and Anne Emerson.

 

When she was 7, the family moved and settled in Old Lyme, Connecticut, where her love of horses, given to her by her grandmother Gladys Marye, took control of her entire being.

 

She attended Westlake School for Girls in Holmby Hills, CA; the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA; graduated from Old Lyme High School in CT in 1958, and attended the University of Connecticut, majoring in English Literature and rebellion. She was an outspoken advocate for civil rights and marched for equality and de-segregation.

 

She met a handsome Navy man at the Submarine Base White Hat Club in Connecticut in 1960. She married Glendower Goddard, a submarine electronics technician of the USN Submarine Service on August 26th, 1961, at the First Congregational Church in Old Lyme, Connecticut. They had two children together, who both became the light in her world.

 

Annabelle was a prolific writer, and while she was never published, she had an insatiable need to express the things she observed and the feelings she experienced by putting pen to paper.

 

She was a rescuer of all of God’s creatures, great and small. A 32-acre horse farm had to be purchased in 1973 in order to support her animal habit and hold all of the horses, dogs, and cats she could handle. She certainly passed this love on to her two children.

 

It was here that she met her second husband, Elmer “Wayne” Brown in 1973, through their mutual admiration for Quarter Horses, and together, as horse trainers, they ran the Futureday Farm in Melissa, Texas, until 1984. They were officially married in 1981 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and rode the rollercoaster of life for 38 years together.

 

Annabelle was an avid globetrotter, bitten by the travel bug at age 15 when she travelled with a tour group throughout Europe. She also reminisced about the cruise she took with her mother and brothers to Cuba in 1958 before Castro took over the country. She and Wayne traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. They were members of the frequent travelers clubs of Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Norwegian, and Holland America Cruise Lines. It was the salty ocean air and sandy beaches where she was the most at peace.

 

Annabelle renewed her faith in the Lord in the 1980’s, and never looked back. She was a woman who sought after the Lord's own heart daily. She allowed the Spirit to direct her in her ministry involvement and became a mighty prayer warrior and a great encourager. She generously and cheerfully supported her pastor’s callings, women’s ministries (especially women in recovery), missionaries, both locally and overseas, and numerous faith-based charities and programs. She inspired those around her to keep seeking for deeper understanding, and to keep reading His Word and to not be afraid to ask questions. She also had a passion for the youth groups, where she was known as Gramma T. She attended their youth gatherings just so she could learn how to pray for them. She loved deeply her God, her family, and her friends.

 

Annabelle’s legacy was her true friendship based on love, her generosity to all humans and four-legged creatures who needed a helping hand, her convictions towards God's marvelous creations, and her compassion to those with a broken heart or a lost soul.

She was a person shaped by faith and conviction, which rarely was influenced by the opinions of others. She embodied the passion of God to defend, deliver and encourage. She sowed seeds for the Lord to grow, through the generous giving of her heart and her resources. She understood how grace works among imperfect people. She loved Jesus with her whole heart and deeply desired others to know Him as their personal Savior.

 

Annabelle was preceded in death by her husband Elmer “Wayne” Brown, her father Fred Light Emerson, II, her mother Anne Safford Grinstead Emerson, and her brother Fred Light Emerson, III.

 

She has left behind her son John Shephard Goddard and wife Vicky; daughter Jennifer Anne Fermaint and husband Daniel; granddaughter Angelica Goddard McQueen and husband Kevin; grandson Blake Dalton Goddard; granddaughter Kimberly Fermaint Hicks, husband Jacob, and great-grandson Carter; brother James Durward Emerson and his children Nelson, Kendra, Oliver, and Meryll; and brother Eric Edward Emerson and wife Michaela Ki.

 

A memorial service for Annabelle will be held on January 14th, 2017 at 11:00am. It will be located at Genesis Church, 5780 Virginia Pkwy McKinney, TX 75071, with Pastor Charlie Tuttle presiding.

 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be sent to either LegacyHumaneSociety.org in McKinney, TX (please Adopt – don’t shop!); StrongerThanEspresso.com in McKinney, TX (healing programs for survivors of domestic abuse); MaziesMission.org in Frisco, TX (discounted veterinary services to shelter and rescue groups); or to GenesisPeople.com Youth Scholarship Foundation.

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