Rose Brown

Rose Ann Brown, age 77, went home to be with her savior on Saturday, November 7, 2020. She was the first daughter born to Edward Bell and Lucille (Warr) Morris on September 18, 1943, in St. Louis, Missouri.  She was raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin where she met her life partner Whittie Brown.  The two were united in matrimony on June 10, 1963. They remained committed to one another until his passing in 2005.

Rose Ann worked in the banking industry for four decades. Prior to her retirement from BMO Harris Bank she worked as an administrative assistant, loan officer, personal banker, manager of the student loan department and finally as a financial services officer, ,  During her tenure she was given the opportunity to expand her knowledge by graduating from the Colorado School of Installment Lending and the Oklahoma Retail Banking School.   She was very proud to be a part the changing landscape of the banking industry in Madison which now includes many more women and people of color than it did when she entered the field.

Rose Ann had a strong belief in supporting the community in which she lived.  She was a founding member of Women In Focus, Inc, which was established in Madison in 1983 and exists to this day. The organization is composed of passionate women who are single-minded in their promotion of educational excellence and healthy development of children of color.  They award a significant number of scholarships to both high school seniors and adults returning to continue post-high school education. Since 1986, scholarship awards to students of color in Dane County have totaled over $500,000.

Rose Ann is survived by her daughter, Lynn Brown of Madison, Wisconsin, her sisters, Scharlene Tinnon, Tanya Ball and Denise Sanders all of Milwaukee Wisconsin, and a host of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by both of her parents, her husband, Whittie Brown, her son, Vincent Brown and her sister, Mary Ruth Walker.

A visitation will be held at CRESS FUNERAL HOME, 3610 Speedway Road, Madison, on Thursday, November 12, 2020, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Burial will follow at Forest Hill Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the Palliative Care staff at SSM Health and Agrace Hospice for all of their help and support during Rose Ann’s illness.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Rose Ann Brown, please donate to either the Alzheimer and Dementia Alliance of Wisconsin (https://www.alzwisc.org/ways-to-give/), or Women In Focus, Inc (https://womeninfocusmadison.org/ways-to-give/).

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Road

(608) 238-3434