Middletown transcript., 1916-11-25
OBITUARY
MRS. c. cLINTONIA BROWNE

mington, Delaware, Saturday, the 18t
of November, 1916, after an illness o
about two months. She was the daugh
ter of Clinton Cook, ESQ.,, of Centre
! vile, Md, and Marietta Ford, his wife
and was married to Rev. Nicholas Man
| ley Browne, in 1885, The entire minis
terial life of her husband was spen
within the bounds of what now com
poses the Wilmington Conference of the
! Methodist Episcopal Church, where he
took high rank. as a minister of the
1 Gospel. At the spring Conference Of
1891 he was assigned to the church al
MiddletOwn, DEL, and during his pas.
torate there, died at the parsonage
February 9th, 1895, his wife and son,
Hugh c. Browne, Esq, surviving. This
rare woman was born in the. happy en-
vironment of old Queen Anne County
in antebellum days. Her father was ar
ardent Methodist, strong lawyer and
a leading spirit in domestic and politi-
cal life which was the outgrowth of the
peculiar institutions of the time and
place Her christian culture and native
refinement was of the type that is con-
fined to no section, and which we some
times designate as of "the old school, y
which is but one way of saying that il
was genuine, in opposition to the coarse
and vulgar pretense that too often OBJ
tains
Early in life her girl feet trod the
path that leads to Calvery, and there
her great warm heart and soul was
bathed in the light of the Cross, and
obedient to its promptings, she thrust
her vision out into the years and claim
ed their treasures for her own; and
what they yielded, and what they will
continue to yield, eternity alone will
measure. From out home of aff1uence
and plenty, she went, mere girl, with
the man of her choice, to share with
him the life and estate of an itinerant
minister of the Gospel of Christ She
was worthy of this noble man by whose
side she stood and how we'll she did her
part is. recorded in the hearts of the
thousands whose lives she touched for
time and eternity, as from parsonage
to parsonage they two went in the
work assigned them. How she loved
life and its social intercourse! How she
loved folks, just because they were
folks! And the high folks and the low
ly folks, all alike loved her When her
husband was assigned to the pastorate
at MiddletoWn, she was at the f1ood-tide
of the womanly graces that were pc
culiarly her own. Hitherto, her life
had flowed on with faultless rythm
and in endless song, till that winter
day of February 1895, when fell the
bolt from the clear cold Heaven, as
falls the plague on men," and the great
warm heart tn at had beat with hers
through the years, was forever STILL
Who of US who stood by her side that
day, can ever forget the anguish of her
soul? Who of us who witnessed the
scene, can ever forget the pieturel COM
posed of herself and son, standing by
the open grave of husband and father,
in old Forest Cemetery, amid the wild
est snow storm that ever fell before or
since in these parts, attended by none,
save minister, pail bearers and sexton?
So fierce was the storm none others
dared venture. The darkening sky and
wailing moaning blasts seemed por-
tent of a still fiercer storm that was
vet to break over her defenseless head.
Few indeed, were the days of sunshine
awaiting her, But there are those of
US who know how beautifully and how
bravely she struggled on and up
through-One crowning sorrow after an
other, eliminating in the death of her
son, the one supreme tragedy that
froze and killed her great warm heart
She could bear no more, and the great
loving Father said it is enough. I'M
mediately after her death her body was
brought to the home of Martin B. Bur-
ris, ESQ.,, in Middletown, where the
funeral services were conducted by her
late pastor, Rev. Herbert F. Randolph,
of Grace NJ. E. Church, at Wilmington,
assisted by Rev. w. A. Wise, Rev.
Thomas E. Terry, Rev. Vaughan S.
Collins, Rev. Thomas E. Martindale,
Rev. John w. Jones and Rev. Francis
H. Moore. The addresses made by
Rev. DR.. Randolph, Rev.. DIR. Collins
and Rev. Dr., Martindale were all of an
exceptionally high order, and each of
them paid a most tender tribute to her |
memory
The funeral services were attended by |
a large number of her friends, MANY of |
them coming from a. a.distance. Among |
them were, Miss Ruth McCracken, Mrs. |
Moore and Mrs. Reeder, of North East,
Md, and Mrs. Sallie B. Pickles, Mrs. |
Mary E. sparks, Mrs. John P. Doughten, |
Mr.. William E. Hawkins and wife, Mrs.
Dr. Henry R. Spruance, Mrs. Catherine
Hastings, Mrs. G. Wesley Welden, Miss
Annie Hall, Mrs. DR.. Chas. F. Pierce
and Rev. DR.. Johnson, all of Whining /
ton, MIR. Alfred Bodine, Mr.. Alfred
Perkins and his two brothers. of Phila- I
deIphia; and Mr.. James Challenger and
wife, Mr.. William Deakyne and wife
and Mr.. James Wise, all of New Cas-
tie, and Mr.. Irving Walker and wife,
and Mrs. Thos. w. Eliason, of Chester
town. She is survived by an only
brother, Mr.. Clinton Cook, of Denton,
and a grandson, Hugh C.
Browne, Jr. She was born teher grave
in Forest Cemetery, Tuesday afternoon,
by her brother her grandson, Mr.. Will
liam E. Hawkins. of Wilmington, Mr..
William Brockson, Mr. WilliamG. Lock-
wood and DR.. Edward NJ. Vaughan, all
of Middletown, and laid to rest beside
her husband and son. The mellow light
of perfect Indian summer day smiled
its benediction, and seemed to whisper,
"the storm is past, the haven't is reached,
and the sting of death and the victory