Grace Marie Hudson Brown

Grace Marie Hudson Brown, 83, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2021, at the UNC Hospice House in Pittsboro, NC. Her family was with her holding her hands and she was attended by the incredibly compassionate Hospice House staff.
Grace was born on April 5, 1938, in High Point, NC, the daughter of Seth and Florence Hudson. In 1959 she married her high school sweetheart Benjamin William Brown. She attended Appalachian State University and earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1959 and her Master’s degree in 1960. She was one of the first teachers to implement new teaching methods designed to improve reading comprehension in North Carolina. She went on to teach elementary school in High Point, Greensboro, and Chapel Hill before moving to Raleigh. Together she and her husband raised three children. Grace and Ben celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary with their family on December 27, 2020, in their favorite place, Beaufort, NC.
In addition to her parents, Grace was preceded in death by brothers Willard Hudson and H. Carroll Hudson, and beloved sisters Frances Hayworth and Mildred Foust.
She is survived by her loving husband Benjamin Brown, and her children, Benjamin Thomas Brown of Raleigh, Andrew Hudson Brown and wife Rebecca Robbins of Amarillo, TX, and daughter Lisa Marie Brown Sheaffer and husband John Christian Sheaffer of Raleigh. She is also survived by the lights of her life, to whom she was known as Gigi, her five grandchildren: John Benjamin Brown Sheaffer, Hudson Christian Brown Sheaffer, Lucy Anna Grace Sheaffer, Caroline Lisa Marie Sheaffer, and her newest joy, James Grady Brown. She is also survived by her brother Glenn Hudson of Charlotte, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
In Raleigh Grace enjoyed and made lifelong friends in her Patchwork Garden club and her Readers Book club. She loved birdwatching and was always on the lookout for them from her sunroom. She enjoyed cooking for her family and loved sharing and making her recipes with her grandchildren. She could often be found in her rocking chair on her front porch at Blue Belle, her treasured Beaufort home. She enjoyed filling Blue Belle with her Blue Willow china and antique toys that she collected. She is greatly missed by her family and friends, but her unique wisdom, kindness, and humor continue to be exemplified in their daily lives.
The family wishes to express deep gratitude to Tonya Whitaker and all of the staff of the UNC Hospice House for their compassionate, peace-bringing care. Memorial contributions may be made to the UNC Hospice Inpatient Facility at give.unc.edu (fund 345729).
A memorial service to celebrate the life of Grace will be held on Saturday, August 21, 2021, at 11:00 am at Ridge Road Baptist Church, 2011 Ridge Road, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607.