In Memory of Elizabeth O. Brown

Obituary

Elizabeth O. Brown of New Hartford died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, October 17, while visiting her daughter in Hanover, PA. She was 90 years old.

She was born in Utica on November 14, 1927, the daughter of Henry Bradley Ogden and Julia Sherman Tyler Doolittle (known to all as “Doods”). Her father owned the Ogden Grain Company in Utica for many years.

Then Elizabeth Clark Ogden, she attended the Utica Country Day School and three private schools for girls: the Cathedral School of St. Mary in Garden City, Long Island; Brantwood Hall in Bronxville, NY, and the Edgewood Park School in Briarcliff Manor, NY, whence she graduated.

She grew up on Genesee Street in South Utica and married a young man who lived around the corner, Richard Jarvis Brown, at Grace Episcopal Church in Utica on September 25, 1948. They settled in New Hartford and had four children together. She and Richard later divorced but remained good friends. Richard died in 2011.

Mrs. Brown worked as a travel agent for more than 30 years, starting at the former Mohawk Airlines and retiring after many years at New Hartford Travel. As a travel agent, she visited a number of countries.

She belonged to several organizations, including the Junior League, the Faxton Council, and the Utica Bridge League. She was an avid bridge player who won several tournaments.  

She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Utica.

On her mother’s side, Mrs. Brown was a direct descendant of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
Mrs. Brown was known for her friendly and courteous manner. In her later years, she enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and often made them laugh with her wry sense of humor. When once asked what she learned in the girls schools she attended, she replied, “How to walk with a book on my head.”

She is survived by three daughters, Elizabeth Gale Norman (Steve) of Bridgewater, Cynthia Allen Major of New Hartford, and Alison Ogden Giampietro (Nicholas) of Hanover, PA; and a son, Philip Henry Brown (Carol Fox, partner) of Saranac Lake. Other survivors include five granddaughters, Tonia Major, Abigail Curtis, Audrey Farley, Rebecca Catanzaro, and Martha Brown; and four grandsons, Jonathan Major, Nathan Brown, Justin McKinnon, and Bradley Giampietro; and 12 great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by another great-granddaughter, Norah Hope Giampietro. Her beloved sister, Amelia Ogden Babson, died in 2011. She also is survived by Barbara Brown, her former daughter-in-law, with whom she remained close, and her beloved cousin Deborah Ogden.

There are no calling hours. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Utica at 10 a.m. Saturday, November 17, with burial to follow at Green Lawn Cemetery in New Hartford.

Arrangements are by the Friedel, Williams, and Edmunds Funeral Home in New Hartford.

In lieu of sending flowers, think of Betty and do something nice for somebody.