Sue C. Barker Brown

Sue C. Barker Brown, 88, of Savannah, Tennessee, passed away Tuesday, July 16, 2024. She was born to Basil and Pauline Vines Barker on April 21, 1936, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She was known best for being a devoted wife and mother, outstanding elementary school teacher, talented singer, and gracious hostess who loved to cook.

After graduating from Fort Smith High School in 1954, she attended Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, where she met the love of her life. She and Richard Lee “Dick” Brown were united in marriage on June 29, 1958. Together they raised four children as she taught elementary school for many years. Sue’s teaching endorsements included elementary (grades 1—9) and secondary (history, geography, government, economics, and sociology). She and Dick spent the majority of their teaching careers in Jackson, Tennessee, where she taught mostly at Highland Park Elementary School followed by St. Mary’s Catholic School, while he taught at Lambuth University.

As a child, Sue was a member of Rainbow Girls and as an adult Eastern Star. As an educator, she held many leadership positions. She received not only the honor of distinguished classroom teacher at the school level, but also at the district and state levels. She was nominated by the Jackson-Madison County Education Association as the Tennessee Education Association’s Distinguished Classroom Teacher in 1994. 

For most of her adult life she was a proud member of the honorary teachers’ sorority Alpha Delta Kappa in which she held offices at the local, state (including president from 1986—88), and regional levels. In addition, she devoted her time and talents to the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an international organization committed to women and education of which she was a member for over sixty years, having started three of the four chapters to which she belonged in Arkansas, Jackson, and Savannah. 

After retiring from teaching, she and Dick relocated to Savannah where she spent time hosting book clubs, bridge clubs, church groups, P.E.O. meetings, and countless family gatherings. She will be missed by so many. She was a faithful member of First United Methodist Church in Savannah where she was actively involved in the chancel choir and handbell groups. Memorials may be made to the church.

Sue was preceded in death not only by her parents, but also by her spouse, only forty-six days prior. She is survived by daughter Cindy Bair of Pueblo, CO; daughter Libby Blackwell (Craig) of Dacula, GA; son Bill Brown (Sharon) of Taylorsville, GA; and son Bob Brown (Tammy) of Savannah, TN. She also leaves a sister, Anne Crow of Conway, AR, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.