Amy Jean Grinage Brown – Albuquerque, N.M. and formerly of Monongahela

Amy Jean Grinage Brown, 95, of Monongahela, died on Sunday, April 25, 2021. She was born on July 12, 1925, in McKeesport, to the late Marie Catlin Brice Grinage and Sylvester Grinage. She was the great-granddaughter of the late Captain William Hilton Catlin, a civil war veteran, as well as captain and company commander of the all African-American Keystone Guard, commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She was the second of six children. She attended McKeesport High School and entered a postgraduate bookkeeping program following graduation. During World War II, she worked as a machinist in the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin. Following World War II, she met and married her husband of 56 years, Theodore A. “Ted” Brown, on Nov. 17, 1946. They had a daughter, Marie Loreen Brown-Wagner on Aug. 3, 1948, and settled into Monongahela. Mrs. Brown worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for Thurner Homes in Pittsburgh and Alexandria, Va., for 30 years. Following her official retirement, she continued to support her family and threw herself into volunteer activities. She gave of herself to others endlessly. She actively cared for her older brother, as well as both of her parents, as they aged and until their deaths. She helped raise her granddaughters and supported her daughter, Marie, working as a volunteer office manager for her medical practice. She was an amazing cook. Nobody ever went hungry in her presence, often awakening before dawn to start preparing for her family. She excelled at navigating motorhomes, touring national parks and accompanying her grandchildren (albeit sometimes reluctantly) on rollercoasters. She loved Pinochle and would surprise even herself with her feisty competitiveness. She always walked briskly and loved to dance. She learned to dance alongside her brother, James, the two of them swirling to the blues in their living room. She then danced her way through holidays, weddings and celebrations from those days forward. She excelled at listening. Her family called her for advice or empathy and they would always receive it. She had a host of cocker spaniels, all well fed and adored and supported the ASPCA and humane society throughout her life. She took pride in being a member of the auxiliary and volunteered at Monongahela Valley Hospital for over 25 years. She was a devoted Christian, attending bible studies, Sunday schools and raising funds for the Bethel A.M.E Church. She helped arrange bake sales and other events to support the church’s organ fund and she saw it to completion. She found joy in the Red Hat Society. She presented her family’s civil war history and role in the development of African-American military units to the Monongahela Rotary and other local museums and organizations. She served as the chaplain for the Starkweather Circle Ladies G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic). She served food at the Monongahela Senior Center and enjoyed its services and offerings. In 2014, she was awarded the Unsung Hero Award by the AME Church’s Pittsburgh Lay Organization for these and other efforts. In 2017, she moved to Albuquerque, N.M., to be near her daughter. There she immersed herself in a new community and church, formed new friendships and continued to participate in an active lifestyle sometimes even with two exercise classes a day. She died as she lived, swift and leaving us trying to keep up with her. She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer only a couple of weeks ago and she accepted the diagnosis with a stoic and loving practicality. Her faith was undaunted and as always, she focused her priorities on her family. We weren’t ready to see her depart, but she was. She died in her granddaughter’s home, surrounded by her loving family. While she will miss her family here, we know she was looking forward to rejoining loved ones, most especially her husband, Ted, who preceded her in death on Oct. 19, 2003. Survivors include her daughter, Dr. Marie Brown-Wagner of Albuquerque, N.M.; two granddaughters, Meredith Wagner Dyrszka of Katonah, N.Y. and Marissa Wagner Mery of Austin, Texas; five great-grandchildren, Theodore and Lila Dyrszka and Andrés, Emma and Tomás Mery; and two sons-in-law, Marc Dyrszka and Carlos Mery. She is survived by three of her late husband’s sisters, Viola Grinage, Ruth Saunders and Winona Womack; and two sisters-in-law, Lorraine Matthews and Charlotte Matthews. She is also survived and adored by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Her siblings, Sylvester Grinage, James Grinage, Bessie Holmes, Brice Grinage and William Grinage preceded her in death, in addition to her parents. If you’d like to make a donation in her honor, ASPCA or a humane society were her preferred organizations. Visitation services with the family will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 30, 2021, at FRYE FUNERAL HOME INC., 427 W. Main St., Monongahela. Additional visitation will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday May 1, 2021, in the funeral home. The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. with the Rev. Morty Ivy officiating. Interment will follow in Monongahela Cemetery. In order to be compliant with our state guidelines concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, masks MUST be worn and social distancing maintained. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.fryefuneralhome.com.