Ms. Faye Brown – Mineola, N.Y.

Ms. Faye Brown, 75, of Mineola, N.Y., passed away on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. She was born on Oct. 5, 1944, in Monongahela, the daughter of the late Bonnie Euteva Fisher Brown and Vernon Brown, and the sister of Vernon Brown Jr. Faye graduated from the Monongahela Area High School in 1962 and California State College in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Atypical Special Education. A lifelong advocate for education, she pursued and received her Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1993. From an early age, Faye knew she would dedicate her life to teaching. In a high school essay, she stated “my favorite playtime activity was ‘school’ as a young child and declared “this is the time I formed the idea of becoming a teacher.” She was a member of the Future Teachers Club at Monongahela High School. But Ms. Brown also realized she didn’t want to teach children who had grown up with her opportunities and abilities. “My first desire is to teach special education, but if I could not then I would like to teach in an underprivileged area.” Faye wrote this in a college essay, and her life’s work shows her commitment to this pledge. She taught a mixed-age special education class for 39 years in the Sachem Central School District, New York. She saw potential in students that others dismissed and held life-long relationships with her students and their families. She recognized the impacts of poverty on children long before we accepted them as a society. Ms. Brown participated in a college teaching program that “opened my mind to the poverty that surrounds many children who, because of a lack of opportunity will probably end up in classes for slow learners or eventually become potential dropouts.” She channeled these experiences into her classroom. She set high expectations for students that others summarily dismissed, and everyone watched as those children attained them with Faye by their side. We visited her classroom many times and watched as she filled the classroom with traditional learning, sarcastic banter, and uncompromising love. And her students loved her in return. And we loved her. Her words might appear biting and sarcastic to some, but they were true, and we always knew we were welcome with her. We could tell Faye things we were scared to say to others. And while she could critique aggressively, we never felt judged. It’s what everyone wants, and needs, in a confidant. We were not alone in these feelings. Upon learning of her passing, friends from New York relayed what a strong community member she was, working to enhance relationships and bring people together. She was on the caring committee at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset, N.Y. She actively participated in community programs related to social justice, education, and housing for seniors. Faye performed friendly visits for elders in her church congregation and she shopped for them when they were unable to do so. She cooked meals at her church that would be frozen and then distributed at a time when someone was in need. As dedicated as she was to others, she was a fun-loving companion. She lived and laughed largely. She loved to cook for her friends, loved to shower herself and friends in holiday attire and accessories, and she adored the beach. She could sit for hours in the sand or along a boardwalk. She loved animals. Her family’s text and Instagram accounts were flooded with fun stories of pigs, puppies, giraffes and donkeys. It is this that we will miss most: the love of laughter and the ability to become elated at life’s seemingly smallest gifts. She leaves a lifetime of wonderful and cherished memories to her family and friends. Her adoring family includes Marissa Wagner Mery, Meredith Wagner Dyrszka, Marie Brown-Wagner, Ken and Renee Matthews, Viola Grinage, Ruth Saunders, Winona Womack, Lorraine Mathews, Charlotte Mathews, Velva Duckworth and many cousins. The imprint of her life and memories are also with friends, community members, and former students. We will all miss her terribly. Due to COVID-19 regulations, she will be intimately celebrated in Monongahela at Frye Funeral Home, 427 W. Main St., Monongahela, PA 15063 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, at which time service will begin. A celebration of life will be held in New York on a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Special Olympics. Interment is at Monongahela Cemetery, Monongahela, PA. Arrangements entrusted to the WILLIAM R. TAYLOR FUNERAL HOME, Trudy L. Taylor, director, 645 McMahon Ave., Monessen, PA 15062, 724-684-4877.