Mary (Mardia) Alexander (Hopper) Brown

Mary (Mardia) Hopper Brown died on April 10, 2018 at Park Springs Retirement Community in Stone Mountain, Georgia at the age of 95. She is survived by her five children: Mary Brown Bullock, George Thompson Brown Jr., and Bruce Perrin Brown of Atlanta, William Barron Brown of Herndon, Virginia and Charlotte Brown Hill of Austin, Texas; their spouses, sixteen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Mardia was passionate about her Christian faith and about her family. The daughter of Presbyterian missionaries to Korea, the wife of a Presbyterian minister, and a missionary to Korea herself, she lived what she believed. She married her husband, George Thompson (Tommy) Brown, at the age of 20 and he remained her “darling” for 71 years. She was a wonderful mother, home-schooling her children and instilling a love of learning. Mardia was patient, kind and generous. She looked for – and found -- good in every person she met.

With a lifetime spanning almost a century as well as both sides of the Pacific Ocean, Mardia’s personal history is extraordinary. Born in Gunsan, Korea she spent her childhood in Mokpo and attended high school at Pyongyang Foreign School, in what is now North Korea. There she met her future husband, Tommy Brown, son of China Presbyterian missionaries, who transferred from Shanghai American School when Shanghai was attacked by the Japanese in 1937. Mardia graduated class valedictorian in 1939.

At 16, Mardia enrolled in Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, graduating in 1943. Her brother Joe’s roommate at Davidson College was none other than Tommy Brown, who set his sights on the beautiful redhead. They were married in Montreat, North Carolina in 1943.

Their primary work together was as missionaries to Korea from 1952 to 1973. In Gwangju, Korea they were instrumental in founding Honam Theological Seminary, today a very large and successful Presbyterian seminary. Their last five years in Korea were spent in Seoul where Mardia led Bible classes in several Korean churches and was active in Korean girls’ education.

In 1973 Tommy was appointed Director of World Missions for the Presbyterian Church US and they moved to Decatur, Georgia. Mardia was one of the first female elders of Decatur Presbyterian Church. She also ran the Mission Haven Clothes Closet, was active in supporting Asian refugees, and served on the Board of the Atlanta Ministry with International Students. She edited her husband’s many books, and co-wrote “Face to Face” with him.

In their later years, Mardia and Tommy enjoyed their ever-expanding family (weddings, babies, graduations), cruising to many new destinations and summer vacations every year at Hilton Head. Not surprisingly, at their Retirement Community, they founded a weekly worship service “Cornerstone,” which continues serving the residents to this day. Called Mee-maw by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Mardia was a sustaining source of love and encouragement.

A service celebrating the life of Mardia Hopper Brown will be held at Decatur Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. Arrangements are being handled by A. S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home in Decatur.