Obituary

Adelsia Priscilla Brown, affectionally known as “Pat,” was born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 28, 1942 to Odessa Roberta Miles and Reverend Walter A. Harris. Pat departed this life on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Pat attended Baltimore City Public Schools. She graduated from Paul Laurence Dunbar Evening High School on Tuesday, May 29, 1962 with a Commercial Diploma. She also studied sociology at Baltimore City Community College. Pat said she was taught by some of the best teachers the public school system had to offer, but she credited her mother, aunts, uncles, and grandmother with teaching her how to spell at a young age. While sitting in a rocking chair in her family’s living room, Pat eavesdropped as they discussed adult matters. “They would spell words they didn’t want me to know,” she said. This informal education no doubt sparked her love of word search and crossword puzzle books. Pat said, “One day I was rocking and listening so hard, I rocked myself out the chair and fell on the floor.”

As a child, Pat dreamed of becoming a secretary. “My father bought me a little wooden desk and my mother gave me a little blue toy typewriter, and I would play secretary,” she recalled. On her way to achieving her career goal, Pat worked various jobs. At age nine, she scrubbed floors in an apartment building for fifty cents. When she was sixteen, Pat worked as a dishwasher and short order cook at Roland Park Country School. Pat said that she would often clean the teachers’ homes for “a whole two dollars!” Pat moved on to become employed at Johns Hopkins Faculty Club as a busgirl, waitress, dishwasher, and short order cook. In 1964, Pat joined her older sister, the late Louise Ross, at Sid Mandell’s Restaurant as a waitress. It was there that Pat met the love of her life, a cook named Alfonza Brown, known as “Al.” The first time she saw him in the kitchen, Pat said to her sister, “I’m getting married soon.” When Louise asked whom she was going to marry, Pat answered, “Him,” pointing to Al. On February 27, 1966, Pat and Al were united in Holy Matrimony and had reared four daughters, Leslie, Laurie, Odessa, and Rachel, and had been married forty-four years at the time of Al’s passing on Tuesday, October 5, 2010.

Always striving to attain her childhood dream of becoming a secretary, Pat went to work at Synder Bill Collection Agency and was its only black employee. In 1976, Pat surpassed her dream of becoming a secretary when she became employed as a civil servant for the Department of Defense at Fort Holabird. She received numerous awards for her work, and after fourteen years of dedicated service, Pat retired on February 7, 1990.

Pat had many hobbies, the first of which was reading. “With books you can go anywhere, do anything, and learn anything you need to know.” Her love of reading came from her mother, who would recite poems to her children when she thought they were asleep. Pat discovered the library at age seven. When she got older, Pat read to her younger siblings and took them with her to the library for Story Hour every Thursday. She had a “kid library card,” but would often check out books for adults by telling the librarian that the books were for her mother. If Pat thought she was going to be punished, she would go to the library and check out six books to read during her punishment. While Pat read all kinds of books, horror was her favorite genre, and she passed on her love of horror books and movies to her daughters. Pat’s second hobby was sewing. After working all day, she would come home and sew a dress, skirt, blouse, or a pair of pants in one night. In March 1992, Pat turned her sewing hobby into a home business called Custom Clothing by Adelsia. She sewed women’s clothing, wedding attire, and had her own signature line of clothing on display and for sale at local boutiques and fashion shows throughout the area. Computers were another favorite pastime of Pat’s. She spent hours teaching herself how to program and repair them, playing The Sims video game, and socializing online in the sewing chatrooms and fandom group page of her celebrity crush, Robert Fuller. Al used to jokingly refer to Pat’s computer as her “boyfriend.” A few years ago, Pat bought a tablet, which she used to read e-books, listen to audiobooks, and play Candy Crush, crossword, word search games, and watch Koinonia Sunday services online when she was unable to make it to church due to illness.

Pat accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior when she was a young girl. One of her fondest memories was attending The United House of Prayer For All People with her grandmother, the late Tinetta McClure. They would go to church around eight in the evening and worship until two o’clock in the morning sometimes. Pat enjoyed the singing, praying, preaching, and fellowship. She said it just made her feel good. Pat took every opportunity to worship God. For a brief period, she was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Church. When her baby brother, the late Bishop Douglas I. Miles, became the pastor of Brown’s Memorial Baptist Church in April 1973, Pat became a member. She remained a member of Brown’s until Bishop Miles founded Koinonia Baptist Church in 1992. During Koinonia’s first service, Pat became its first member. As a faithful disciple, Pat served on the choir, Missionary Ministry, Food Pantry Ministry, and Bereavement Ministry. In 2023, the members of Koinonia unanimously elected Pat as “Mother Of The Church”. One of her favorite scriptures was Romans 8:28 and one of her favorite hymns was “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.”

Pat was a beautiful woman, loving, intelligent, strong beyond belief. She was the rock, joy, and wisdom of her family. She thanked God every day for His grace and mercy, her life, and for her family, which she loved, supported, and encouraged with all her heart and soul.

“I would stand on the porch, especially when it was cold, and I’d hear you guys laughing. That was great. I can truly say that I’ve had plenty If-I-died-now-it’ll-be-all-right moments.” –Pat

Pat leaves to cherish her beautiful memory: four daughters, Leslie Johnson, Laurie Brown aka Diana Walker (Maine), Odessa Rose (Michael), and Rachel Brown; one goddaughter, Malinda Royal; one son-in-law, Michael Rose; one sister-in-law, Rosanna Miles; nine grandchildren: Clinton Johnson, William Grant (Ieisha), Melodie Barnes (New Zealand), Johanna Nichols (Randy), Brian Rose, Marcus Rose, Nina Rose, Tyshmia Bond, Calvin Royal; thirteen great-grandchildren, Christopher Johnson, Nyasia Telp, Jaden Grant, London Grant, Lyric Grant, Aubrie Grant, Alayah Grant, Morgan Bond, Elijah Muldrow, Tylon Rodgers, Kerron Tucker, Emerson Eliot Barron, and Dylan Adelsia Barron; Dan Barron, Annie Jackson, Victoria Rose, David Rose, Arthur Rose, and a host of other family and friends.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband, Alfonza Brown; mother, Odessa Roberta Miles; father, Reverend Walter A. Harris; sisters, Louise F. Ross and Minister Mildred A. Ivery; brothers, William H. Miles, Reverend John F. Miles, and Bishop Douglas I. Miles.