Lillian Joy Brown - Obituary

illian Joy Brown, 92, of Fort Washington, MD, formerly of Landisville, NJ, passed away Sunday, January 8, 2023 at home. She was born in Philadelphia, PA, on February 22, 1930. Her family lived in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, and ultimately moved to Berlin, NJ. There her parents, Frank A. Butterfield and Lillian M. (Weidanz) Butterfield, had a small farm where she and her brother, Frank, tended to the animals to help the family. Her father was a Wesleyan Methodist minister, so she grew up in church, learning the Bible at a young age. Lillian, also known as Joy, completed high school and went to secretarial school, where she learned typing, shorthand and other office management skills. She entered the workforce as a secretary in the 1940s, taking the train into Philadelphia to work in the insurance industry. She left her secretarial career to become a wife and mother. She moved multiple times, settling in Landisville, NJ, for much of her life. For the last five years she lived in Fort Washington, MD, with family. Joy worked various jobs during her life; serving as an office manager, an aide to the elderly, housecleaner, seamstress, and in children’s daycare. She volunteered as a Sunday school teacher and 4-H leader and was always happy to have the neighborhood kids visit her home. She enjoyed crafts and sewing on her Singer sewing machine. She loved working on projects around the house, whether it be painting, decorating, or remodeling. Cook’s Lumber (Archibald Cook & Son) was conveniently right next door in Landisville. She enjoyed gardening and flowers, cooking and baking; she loved being busy. Joy was compassionate and always had pets, either cats or dogs. She was an avid reader; she especially loved mysteries, and she lovingly wrote beautiful letters to her family and friends. She easily acquired computer skills in her 80s and enjoyed FaceBook and YouTube in her later years, using both right up to her death. Joy attended numerous churches in her life, but she came back to the Methodist church, attending Faith UMC in Accokeek, MD, during her final years. She continually studied the Bible and prayed for her family every night. Her ultimate wish was that each member of the family would know the Lord as their Savior. Joy was preceded in death by her son John A. Barckley and her brother Frank A. Butterfield. She is survived by her son David R. Gilmour (Angela Papadopolous) and daughters Cheryl Mojta, Barbara E. (David) Repenning, Ruth Gilmour (Francis Manning) and Lynn (Randy) Otis, as well as 11 grandchildren and 18 great grand-children. Her family was most important to her; she enjoyed Zoom meetings so she could see everyone in the family despite the distance between them. A memorial service to celebrate Joy’s life will be held at Friendship Church in Landisville, NJ, on January 25, 2023 at 11:00. All are welcome to attend. She will be buried at Friendship Cemetery immediately following the service.