Doris Jean Brown

Doris Jean Sampson Brown

Sunrise: February 28, 1934        Sunset: August 13, 2022

Doris Jean Sampson Brown was born in Arcadia, Louisiana to Thomas Shelton Sampson and Minnie Ruth Sampson.  She was an only child, surrounded by many cousins, aunts, and uncles who loved her deeply.  She fondly spoke of growing up in Arcadia and how her family doted on her.  Her grandmothers showered her with enormous love, and she carried that depth of love and concern for others throughout her life. 

Doris accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and personal Savior at an early age.  She was baptized at Harmony Baptist Church in Arcadia and later moved with her parents to Los Angeles so her father could work on the shipyards before World War II.  She was a peace maker and one of her favorite scriptures is the beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

In 1951, Doris graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles, and then attended Los Angeles City College, receiving an Associate Degree.  Later, while married and raising her two girls, she went back to school and received credentials as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). 

On April 3, 1955, Doris gave her hand in marriage to Curtis L. Brown, in Los Angeles, California. At the time, Curtis was an active member of the United States Army. She gave birth to two daughters Lisa and Renata—the loves of her life.  For 31 of the 67 years of their marriage, she served as an army wife.  They moved to Maywood, Illinois for Curtis’ active-duty station at the 45th Artillery Brigade in  Arlington Heights and then to Kaiserslautern, Germany.  While in Kaiserslautern, she was elected president of the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Wives Club where her leadership skills were tapped to give back to the community and serve active-duty spouses and children, fundraising for countless causes benefitting the men and women of the armed services.  In 1967, she led a delegation of NCO wives to Holland, which sparked her love for travel, adventure, and exploration. Following a three-year tour in Germany, Curtis received orders for El Paso, Texas, which became their permanent home.

Doris loved the field of nursing and believed she was called to serve. When she and Curtis moved to El Paso, she began working at Thomason Memorial General Hospital and later at the Veterans Administration Clinic where she eventually retired after 21 years of service.  She served as the Black Employment Program Manager, and later went back to school to become an x-ray technician. She was greatly admired and loved by her patients and colleagues and received numerous awards and citations, including one from the Commissioners Court of El Paso County. 

Doris was a lover of books, libraries, museums, the performing arts, dance, fine dining, shopping, and music. She played the piano, following the example of her mother and grandmother, but her favorite instrument was the saxophone. Aside from her love for music, she would read herself to sleep many nights, and always ensured her girls had encyclopedias and places to store books.  She was a jazz aficionado with a robust collection of jazz albums. She frequently listened to the works of Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Nat King Cole, Gloria Lynn, and Sarah Vaughn into the wee hours of the morning.  She loved telling how she saw Josephine Baker in concert when she was 15 years old and Marian Anderson at 18 years old, while always instilling the love of the arts to her daughters.

Doris believed strongly in advocacy, education, and public service.  She was a servant leader and worked tirelessly to improve the community.  Many knew her as a “gentle giant,” who believed in excellence and strived for what was decent and in order.  She spoke with aplomb and communicated difficult subjects with love. She was a member of the National Black Nurses Association, Inc. and was inducted into The El Paso Chapter of the Links, Inc. in 1990. She served as Chaplain, Chair of the Arts Facet, Office of the Financial Secretary, Audit and Phone Committees.  Doris attained alumna status in 2012.  She was a lover of God’s Word and adored her church family at Shiloh Baptist Church, where she served in the Nursing Ministry.

Doris loved her family fiercely and her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her tremendous joy. She leaves behind to celebrate her life: husband, Curtis L. Brown, daughters, Lisa Brown Ross (John), Renata Brown, grandchildren Jade Jacobs, Joshua Jacobs, Biron Ross, Daniecia (Heaven) Ross, Kimon Ross and great-grandsons, Jackson Chase Essiaw, Jabari Ross, and a host of family and friends.

Visitation will be from 4:00pm to 8:00pm on Tuesday, August 23, 2022 at Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast, 4631 Hondo Pass Drive.  Funeral Service will begin at 11:00am on Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at Shiloh Baptist Church, 3201 Frutas Avenue.  Services entrusted to Sunset Funeral Homes-Northeast.  Please visit her online memorial page at www.sunsetfuneralhomes.net.