Mrs. Josephine Colbert Brown, age 69 passed on March 22, 2019 at the Columbus Hospice in Columbus, Georgia.
The funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, March 30, 2019 at Friendship Baptist Church, 411 Cotton Avenue, Americus, Georgia. Burial will follow at Cool Spring Baptist Church Cemetery, 1625 Cool Spring Road, Buena Vista, Georgia.
Mrs. Josephine C. Brown was born May 7, 1949 to the late Paul Smith, Sr. and the late Comilla Thomas Smith. She was born in a family of ten siblings in which two brothers, Griffin Smith and Grady Smith, and one sister, Mattie Jorden-Hicks preceded her in death.
She was educated in the Marion County School System. She loved God and singing his praises. In 1973, Jo along with her late sister, Mattie Jorden-Hicks, the late Thelma Williams, and the late Willie Mae Bell organized the original Cool Spring Missionary Baptist Church Choir.
In 1976 Mrs. Josephine Brown moved to Jacksonville, Florida, found employment in Quality Control with Anheuser-Busch, and retired with over twenty years of service. While in Florida she found a church home at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Darrell Gilyard.
She prayed that God would allow her to move back home. After spending 22 years in Jacksonville, Florida, Jo returned home to Buena Vista, Georgia with an entrepreneur’s quest. Her passions were fashion, collecting novelty what-nots, decoration, and design. On January 1, 1999 on Broad Street she opened a store and named it “Rare Find of Buena Vista”. As her walk with God matured, she understood her role and the impact of print. She regrouped and refined her products to include Christian Literature and renamed it “Ashly’s Christian Bookstore”. Upon returning home she united with Oasis Ministry in Americus, Georgia under the leadership of Pastor Gabriel Hicks. She served in many capacities including the Praise and Worship Ministry. After worshipping a number of years there, the ministry dissipated and she united with the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Americus, Georgia on November 1, 2015.
“Jo” was a giver and hard worker. She gave her time, money, and counsel whenever it was needed. She wasn’t ashamed to own her heavenly father before men. She would tell you over and over and over and over; “It’s not about me, It’s All About Jesus”.
Those who will miss her dearly include a husband of 17 years, Willie Brown, Buena Vista, Georgia; her three sons, Kenneth Colbert, of Atlanta, Georgia, Bryant Colbert of Jacksonville, Florida, and Dewayne Colbert, of Buena Vista, Georgia; her three grandchildren, Ashly French (Brandon) of Killeen, Texas, Kiera Colbert and Christopher Sims, both of Atlanta, Georgia; his six children, Charles Mathis (Shaniah) of Jacksonville, Florida, William H. Brown (Latosha) and Alashia Brown (Byron) both of Buena Vista, Georgia, Laronda Mabry (Carl), of Thomaston, Georgia, and Latoya Mathis (Issiah) of Columbus, Georgia and Jenise Burton of Atlanta, Georgia; her siblings include: Flourine Muff, Aries Lee Harris, Gloria Hall, Annie Bolden, Earnestine Kelly (Bobby) all of Buena Vista, Georgia, and Rev. Paul Smith Jr. (Annie Pearl), Phoenix City, Alabama; brothers and sisters-in-law include, Walter Hicks, Sr., Kenneth Brown, and Tommie Brown all of Buena Vista, Georgia, Shirley Shavers (Ralph), Linda Alexander (Earnest), Lee Brown (Charlamange) all of Columbus, Georgia, Mary Norman (Melvin) of Hapeville, Georgia, Bernice Chaney (Ron), of Gray, Georgia, Steve Brown (Cynthia) of Starkville, Mississippi, and Stacey Brown (Janice) of LaGrange, Georgia, a host of nieces, nephews, and a diva name Taylor, her great-grand-dog.
The funeral service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Saturday, March 30, 2019 at Friendship Baptist Church, 411 Cotton Avenue, Americus, Georgia. Burial will follow at Cool Spring Baptist Church Cemetery, 1625 Cool Spring Road, Buena Vista, Georgia.
Mrs. Josephine C. Brown was born May 7, 1949 to the late Paul Smith, Sr. and the late Comilla Thomas Smith. She was born in a family of ten siblings in which two brothers, Griffin Smith and Grady Smith, and one sister, Mattie Jorden-Hicks preceded her in death.
She was educated in the Marion County School System. She loved God and singing his praises. In 1973, Jo along with her late sister, Mattie Jorden-Hicks, the late Thelma Williams, and the late Willie Mae Bell organized the original Cool Spring Missionary Baptist Church Choir.
In 1976 Mrs. Josephine Brown moved to Jacksonville, Florida, found employment in Quality Control with Anheuser-Busch, and retired with over twenty years of service. While in Florida she found a church home at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Darrell Gilyard.
She prayed that God would allow her to move back home. After spending 22 years in Jacksonville, Florida, Jo returned home to Buena Vista, Georgia with an entrepreneur’s quest. Her passions were fashion, collecting novelty what-nots, decoration, and design. On January 1, 1999 on Broad Street she opened a store and named it “Rare Find of Buena Vista”. As her walk with God matured, she understood her role and the impact of print. She regrouped and refined her products to include Christian Literature and renamed it “Ashly’s Christian Bookstore”. Upon returning home she united with Oasis Ministry in Americus, Georgia under the leadership of Pastor Gabriel Hicks. She served in many capacities including the Praise and Worship Ministry. After worshipping a number of years there, the ministry dissipated and she united with the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Americus, Georgia on November 1, 2015.
“Jo” was a giver and hard worker. She gave her time, money, and counsel whenever it was needed. She wasn’t ashamed to own her heavenly father before men. She would tell you over and over and over and over; “It’s not about me, It’s All About Jesus”.
Those who will miss her dearly include a husband of 17 years, Willie Brown, Buena Vista, Georgia; her three sons, Kenneth Colbert, of Atlanta, Georgia, Bryant Colbert of Jacksonville, Florida, and Dewayne Colbert, of Buena Vista, Georgia; her three grandchildren, Ashly French (Brandon) of Killeen, Texas, Kiera Colbert and Christopher Sims, both of Atlanta, Georgia; his six children, Charles Mathis (Shaniah) of Jacksonville, Florida, William H. Brown (Latosha) and Alashia Brown (Byron) both of Buena Vista, Georgia, Laronda Mabry (Carl), of Thomaston, Georgia, and Latoya Mathis (Issiah) of Columbus, Georgia and Jenise Burton of Atlanta, Georgia; her siblings include: Flourine Muff, Aries Lee Harris, Gloria Hall, Annie Bolden, Earnestine Kelly (Bobby) all of Buena Vista, Georgia, and Rev. Paul Smith Jr. (Annie Pearl), Phoenix City, Alabama; brothers and sisters-in-law include, Walter Hicks, Sr., Kenneth Brown, and Tommie Brown all of Buena Vista, Georgia, Shirley Shavers (Ralph), Linda Alexander (Earnest), Lee Brown (Charlamange) all of Columbus, Georgia, Mary Norman (Melvin) of Hapeville, Georgia, Bernice Chaney (Ron), of Gray, Georgia, Steve Brown (Cynthia) of Starkville, Mississippi, and Stacey Brown (Janice) of LaGrange, Georgia, a host of nieces, nephews, and a diva name Taylor, her great-grand-dog.
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