Mary Brown has lived a century — and she still starts each morning with puzzles, paints watercolor birthday cards for friends, and does her own taxes. The 100-year-old Philadelphia woman says her longevity isn’t complicated:
“I’m not a saint. I believe in prayer, in staying active, and in living one day at a time.”
A Legacy Of Longevity
Born on March 7, 1925, in Union, South Carolina, Brown is the daughter of Jeanette Garnett, who lived to 106. “I’m a survivor,” she told Daily Voice in an exclusive interview. “My mother lived to 106, so I figure I have some good years left.”
She married her college sweetheart, Elix Brown, in 1943 and later settled in Philadelphia, where she worked for the U.S. Government Veterans Administration Insurance Division for more than 30 years before retiring in 1986.
Community Roots In Walnut Hill
Brown made her home on Walnut Street in University City, where she spent decades leading the Walnut Hill Community Association. She served as president of the neighborhood’s Community Development Corporation, helping purchase and renovate homes, organize potluck suppers, and sponsor bus trips…