- Date Of Birth: January 12, 1932
- Date Of Death: May 4, 2018
- State: Colorado
Nancy Joy Brooks Browning, beloved daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, friend, colleague, and lifelong educator died peacefully during the early morning of May 4, 2018, at the age of 86. Nancy passed away in Colorado, where she had lived for eight years not far from her oldest daughter.
Nancy was the daughter and eldest child of William Henry Brooks and Madge Marie Moyer Brooks. Born January 12, 1932 and raised, along with her brother, Robert (Bob) Alan Brooks, in what was then the small town of Vineland, New Jersey, Nancy was surrounded by many loving and close family members and friends. Back then, Vineland was a town where the telephone operators knew what everyone was up to and where the local newspaper announced children’s birthday parties and illnesses, no matter how minor, as well as family barbeques and neighborhood events.
Throughout her life, Nancy excelled at nearly everything she touched. During her years at Vineland High School, Nancy was a superior student and leader, involved in many activities and clubs, both at school and in the community. She was president of the women’s council for the YMCA and a member of the Bugle and Drum Corps, a team of thirteen “twirlers” recognized as the best in the state. After high school, she attended the University of Delaware, where during her sophomore year she was selected as the school’s drum majorette to lead the 57-member band before Delaware Blue Hen football games. She graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. It was at Delaware that she met her husband, Roger Dee Browning, marrying in 1952.
In 1955, age 23, married just two years with two young daughters, Nancy contracted polio. She subsequently spent six weeks in the hospital receiving polio treatments developed by Sister Elizabeth Kenny. She always credited the Kenny polio treatments, her physical therapist, and her mother’s prayers, for helping her to recover as much – and as quickly – as she did.
Nancy was a natural educator. As a child, she took her young cousin Dick (Richard Brooks, 1934 – 2016), (her first student!) to the Carnegie Library in Vineland, New Jersey, and – as Dick said many decades later – initiated him into the world of books and libraries. Even then she intuitively knew the value of making connections for learners, as she highlighted the book The Clockwork Twins, by Walter R. Brooks, no doubt pointing out that a “Brooks” had authored many books.
Throughout her work life, Nancy worked as an educator in one way or another, serving, for example, as a tutor, teacher, principal, and Girl Scout Leader. In the late 1970s, Nancy began to focus her career in reading instruction, English as a Second Language, and alternative education for young adults. In 1983, she earned her master’s degree in Teacher Education from Eastern Michigan University. Among other leadership roles across the state of Michigan, Nancy was an instructor and later supervisor of the English as a Second Language Program, Whitman Center, Livonia, Michigan; Principal, Adult and Alternative Education, Curriculum and Staff Development, Bentley Center, Livonia Public Schools; and instructor for Eastern Michigan University Graduate School. She was a consultant to business and industry, encouraging leaders to hire struggling students and teach them on-the-job skills. She developed curriculum materials, trained hundreds of teachers statewide, and taught countless people of all ages how to read and speak English. Along the way, she wrote the manual A Handbook for English as a Second Language. Well-known as a master teacher, Nancy was a highly admired leader, friend, and mentor to many.
Nancy and Roger moved numerous times due to Roger’s career: Washington D.C., Pennsylvania (Wallingford, Media), Illinois (Arlington Heights, St. Charles), New York (Delmar), and Michigan (Grand Rapids, Dearborn Heights, Portage, Livonia, Farmington). Everywhere they lived, they made lifelong friends as they welcomed others into their home for dinners, to sit and talk about any topic, or just to enjoy time together and laugh. She gave unfailing support and encouragement to others, most especially her husband after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1983. Her faith was strong.
