Mitzi Brown

Mitzi (Bowers) Brown, 91, died peacefully on March 25, 2026 at the Cathedral Village retirement community (Bishop White Lodge), with family by her side.

Born in Philadelphia on June 4, 1934, Mitzi was the daughter of the late William Leicester Bowers and Helen (Myers) Bowers. She grew up in Germantown and Mount Airy, where her father owned a furniture business. She spent many happy childhood summers at her grandmother’s cabin near Pine Grove Furnace in Michaux State Forest in central Pennsylvania. Mitzi graduated from Germantown High School in 1952, from Bucknell University in 1956, and received a master’s degree in English from the University of Michigan.

In July 1956, Mitzi married the late William R. (Bill) Brown, whom she’d met at a church youth group when they were both 16. During their 61 years of marriage, Bill and Mitzi raised three daughters, fixed up five houses (three in northwest Philly, two in Maine), and enjoyed long careers as English teachers. Bill was an English professor at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science/Philadelphia University for 45 years, and Mitzi taught high school and junior high school English at a number of Philadelphia public schools, most notably the J.R. Masterman School where she taught from 1979 until her retirement in 2000. The Browns spent summers from 1978 until their children were grown at a modest lakeside cabin in Maine they’d bought and renovated, where they enjoyed sailing (Bill), swimming (Mitzi), and figuring out every possible way to use blueberries in desserts (Mitzi).

Mitzi truly loved teaching at Masterman, where she was known as tough but inspirational, an “old school” teacher who always pushed her students to write better and read more closely. One of her proudest moments was when a Masterman graduating class awarded her their annual “toughest teacher” award. She also took great pride in her students’ achievements, following their later careers with great interest. After her retirement from Masterman in 2000, Mitzi taught one class per semester of first-year writing at La Salle College as an adjunct English instructor for another 13 years, just to keep her hand in. But she had time to pursue other interests and hobbies, as well. She had always yearned to travel internationally, and finally she was able to. Bringing Bill along (mostly willingly!), she took many Road Scholar excursions to Europe, Scandinavia, and Latin America. Closer to home, Mitzi loved going to New York City to visit friends and see theater, and also enjoyed cultural outings in and around Philadelphia. Having sold their place in Maine, in the early 2000’s Mitzi and Bill purchased a weekend home near rural Wellsville, PA, where they enjoyed quiet weekends of reading, grading papers for the classes they both still taught, and relaxing in their hot tub. Mitzi kept immaculate homes both in Philly and Wellsville, loved gardening, cooked delicious meals for friends and family, and always found time to read the latest novels by her favorite writers John Updike, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. Most of all, Mitzi took great pleasure in spending time with family during these years, especially her grandchildren Sarah (b. 1993), Matthew (b. 1995), Caroline (b. 1999), and Catherine (b. 2001). They were truly her greatest pride and joy.

In 2014, Bill and Mitzi moved into the Cathedral Village retirement community in Andorra. There, Mitzi brought her indefatigable spirit and energy to her new community. She served on the trip committee, wrote and edited for the community newsletter, and taught a memoir-writing class at the Village College, the continuing education series taught by and for C.V. residents. After Bill died of pancreatic cancer in 2017, Mitzi took great comfort in the supportive community she found at Cathedral Village.

During the health challenges of Mitzi’s last few years, her fierce optimism asserted itself more than ever. To the very end, she stayed curious, opinionated, competitive, and affectionate, eager for news of the world and of loved ones alike, always planning for the next day’s dinner and hoping to finish the next crossword puzzle or win the next Bingo game. As a longtime friend said, “Mitzi was a force,” and she truly was: a force of nature, a force to be reckoned with, a force for good.

Mitzi is survived by her three daughters Elisabeth Trejo (Robert), Madeline Brown (Thomas Crochunis) and Ann Brown (Melissa Orner), and four grandchildren Sarah Trejo, Matthew Trejo (Megan), Caroline Trejo, and Catherine Crochunis-Brown. A celebratory luncheon for family and friends in honor of Mitzi’s life will be arranged for a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mitzi’s honor may be made to one of Mitzi’s favorite charities, Planned Parenthood, Doctors Without Borders, or National Public Radio.