Every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember, my family and I have gone to visit an old friend of the family's, Mr. Brown. I can remember the excitement I felt when we would be going up his driveway and I could see his old, fragile figure standing in the window. From the cold porch, you could feel the warmth burst from the inside as he opened the door.

There, on his old shag carpet would be a train set he had put up for us as he did every year. The cars on the train would be filled with Hershey kisses and small Candy canes. With excitement, Ryan and I would run to the train set before even taking off our big winter jackets. We would sit for an hour and watch that train travel in circles as the fireplace warmed our backs.

Mother and Father would sit on the long couch as Mr. Brown would sit in his recliner and talk about his memories from World War II...they were always the same stories, but I could listen to them over and over again. After a while, Kristin and Melissa would come and join us as we played with the train but we would soon move to the living room where Mr. Brown always had a hand painted manger scene in his other fire place (every year he would remind us that it was a manger scene that his wife had hand painted for him...I never had the pleasure of meeting her). By the manger scene, he would have a table and with a chair by it. On the table was the ugliest pink ceramic Christmas tree I have ever seen with oversized Christmas lights already placed strategically in it.

He would have us gather round his chair as he lifted the table cloth and would pull out a gift for each of us. They were always old gifts that he had found somewhere in the house and to anyone else these things would be useless, but to me they meant the world. I still have every old book and glass figure he gave me.

As I type this, tears stream from my eyes because this Christmas Eve's visit was different. I didn't feel that joy after driving up his driveway...I felt hesitation as I walked through the doors of a nursing home. There were no trains, no candy, but worst of all, there wasn't the same Mr. Brown that I'd grown to adore. We walked into his room and he just looked at us. For about three months, he has been unable to remember anyone. We told him who we were and he simply said, "Yes, yes, I see." He wouldn't take his eyes off Ryan and me. It was like he knew that he should've known who we were but he simply couldn't recall.

We heard no war stories...just babbling...words that didn't go together and made no sense. It broke my heart to see him like this. It was okay that I wasn't having the experience that I was used to, but to see him in that shape made me feel guilty for all of the Christmas Eve's I had taken for granted. I would give back every wonderful gift he had given to me over the past 18 years just to see a look of recognition on his face...just for him to look at me and to be able to say "Jennifer" without being told who I was.

Journal Entry
December 24, 2004
Jennifer Vincent

Mr. John Edison Brown passed peacefully into the arms of his loving Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, after an extended illness at St. Mary’s Nursing Home. He was a devoted Christian and dedicated member of First Baptist Church of La Follette where he served as a deacon and taught Sunday School for more than 40 years. He was loved and respected by all and his many years of service to First Baptist Church will always be remembered.

Cross Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Rev. Bob Brown will be officiating. Servng as pall bearers will be Greg Vincent, Charles Vincent, Jerry Gray, Gary Gray, John Faulkner and Jerry Bowman.

Mr. Brown was a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University and later received his master’s degree from the University of Tennessee. He began his teaching career in 1933 and returned to that occupation after returning from service. He retired from West Lafollette Elementary School in 1974 after serving as principal for 28 years.

Mr. Brown was a decorated veteran of World War II. He served as a communications operator using morris code. He was also a Tech Sgt. and MP. He served in London and France and was actually in London when it was bombed.

Mr. Brown is preceded in death by his loving wife, Edna McNeely Brown, his parents Robert Brown and Mary Ellen Brown, brothers Oscar Brown, William Brown, and Verlin Brown, sisters Ellen Brown and Elizabeth Brown Jones. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law James Brown and Cheryl of Sidney, Ohio and son Jack Brown and daughter-in-law Brenda of Limestone, Tennessee, one nephew, Glen Jones and wife Jewell of LaFollette and nieces , Annette Jones of LaFollette and Mary Helen Carol of Knoxville, and several great-nephews and great nieces and a host of friends.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends.

Sharyn Vincent

As I sat listening to Rev. Bob Brown’s message, at Edison Brown's funeral. I could see Mr. Brown when he was a young man, probably 35 years old, running and playing with us kids at school.

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Gave in Memory of Edison Brown: Raymond and Margie Moore - Kent and Geneva Younce - Helen Margaret Saulsberry - Bethany/Fidelis Class - Martha Witt - William L. Hendon