Veselee Albina Valdes Brown

Published 3:45 pm Thursday, April 29, 2010

Services for Mrs. Veselee Albina Valdes Brown are 3 p.m. Saturday, May 1, 2010, at Second Presbyterian Church. Rev. Dr. Earl Williams is pastor and Rev. Henry Walden will officiate. Interment will follow in Magnolia Cemetery. Mrs. Brown, the oldest child of Mrs. June Roebuck Hennemann O’Reilly and Mr. Adolpho Valdes Sr., was born Oct. 15, 1943, in Christiansted St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She received her childhood education in the St. Croix School System and attended college in Connecticut. Mrs. Brown accepted Christ at an early age when she joined the Lutheran Church. Her personal relationship with Christ enabled her to nurture her family with a great love of the Lord. Mrs. Brown spent most of her life in St. Croix, St. Lucia and St. Eustatius. As a young woman, she was blessed with the birth of three children: Alexander, Veronica “Vickie” and Kahlil. When her children were young, she worked untiringly at Hess Oil Refineries to provide for their well-being. During this time, she caught the eye of a young Clarence Brown Jr., from Thomasville, who was determined to capture the heart of his “Caribbean Queen.” They dated, fell in love and married soon thereafter. This union resulted in more than 33 years of enduring love, admiration and partnership. Left to cherish her memory are her loving and devoted husband, Mr. Clarence W. Brown Jr.; her children, Alexander Phillips (Esmerelea), Veronica Greenwood (Eric) and Kahlil Welch (Jeanice); four sisters, Floris Williams, Valderie Abramsen, Dinah O’Reilly and Cyd O’Reilly; two brothers, Wilburn “Kent” O’Reilly and Adolpho Valdes Jr.; five step brothers, Alfred O’Reilly, Rudy O’Reilly, Burton O’Reilly, Raymond O’Reilly and Eddie Martinez; four step sisters, Kay O’Reilly, Marsha O’Reilly, Sherry O’Reilly and Lisa Bough; grandsons, James Phillips and Elijah Greenwood; granddaughters, Keala Welch, Velecity Greenwood and Ashley Paige; sisters-in-law, Patricia A. Brown and Eunice Scruggs (Laroy); and, a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and special friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Bagune O’Reilly. The family requests all in attendance at the service please wear bright, lively Caribbean colors to celebrate Mrs. Brown’s life. Please, no dark, gloomy, mourning, sad colors. Family and friends are asked to assemble at 2:15 p.m. at 136 Crestwood Dr. for the processional. — Hadley’s Funeral Home