Dorothy Skipper Brown died Sept. 27, 2021, at her home in Foley, Alabama.
Dorothy “Dot” was born June 5, 1928, in DeSoto City in Highlands County, Florida. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of nearly 57 years, Thomas E. Brown, Jr.
Dot grew up in Moore Haven, Florida on the edge of Lake Okeechobee. She was a seventh generation Floridian and a member of a true Florida Pioneer family. Dot was a graduate of Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It was in Tennessee after graduation from college, where she met Tom Brown. They were married in 1949.
Tom’s job took them to Pensacola in 1954. Dot worked for a bank, a construction company and WSRE-TV between 1954 and 1970. It was in 1970 that she found her true calling as a writer and editor with the Pensacola News Journal. She won many writing awards over the years including a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. Dot was the author of “A Cracker Crumb Trail” the best-selling book in Pensacola in 1986. As a writer for the News Journal, she flew with the Blue Angels and wing-walked on a Super Stearman Bi-Plane among thousands of other adventures.
Dot was a founding member of the West Florida Genealogical Society and co-founder of the Baldwin County Genealogical Society. She enjoyed sharing her knowledge of genealogical research with others. Genealogy was her passion for more than 50 years.
Dot is survived by her daughter Christa Brown Wilson, Crawfordville, Florida; her son Steven “Skip” Brown and partner April White, Perdido Beach, Alabama; grandson, J. Ian Wilson, granddaughter-in-law, Sarah K. Wilson and great-grandson, Miles Wilson all of New Orleans, Louisiana; her sister, Marion Zipf and brother-in-law Frederick Zipf, Laurel, Maryland; niece, Catherine Zipf, Reston, Virginia and special friend Brandon White.
A Celebration of her life will be held for family and friends in Foley at a later date.
Cason Funeral Services in Foley, Alabama, assisted the family with arrangements.
