Deanne (Dee) Brown

Brown, Deanne Cinicove, of Ocala, Florida on November 6, 2023, ~ A Spirited Life

The Early Years

Deanne (Dee) Cinicove Brown was born on May 25, 1940, to Mildred and Edward Cinicove in Atlantic City, NJ, and grew up in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia. Dee recounted joyful memories of summers, spending time on Nana’s farm in Sunbury, PA. Dee attended Germantown High School, and upon graduation went to work as a secretary in downtown Philadelphia, where she met her future husband, Irwin Brown, during lunch break at Horn and Hardart’s. They married in 1960, starting the next chapter.

The Middle Years

Dee and Irwin raised three girls, and weekends were spent visiting local playgrounds and parks, the Philly Zoo, Dolphin Swim Club, Ventnor and Margate beaches, museums, malls, and movies. Perhaps it was not the best idea to take us to see “Jaws” while vacationing at Miami Beach, though…

Dee volunteered to serve as Girl Scout Cookie Mom, and we lived among stacks of cookie boxes from floor to ceiling. 

Dee took great pleasure in the outdoors, and was an avid gardener who was delighted with her impressive rose collection. She could often be heard saying, “Look at the beautiful flowers!” everywhere she went, and she loved butterflies.

 Dee was a formidable opponent on the tennis court, winning several competitions priding herself with an impressive collection of trophies.

An enthusiastic supporter of women’s lib, “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy could be heard blasting from the stereo at any given time with Dee singing along. She also loved Neil Diamond, and his music was the soundtrack of our childhood, complete with a giant poster of Neil hanging on the kitchen door. That was always fun explaining the poster to friends…

Dee was a spirited woman and could be challenging at times. She sought independence, and divorced Irwin in the early 1980s. 

Dee triumphantly returned to the workforce, holding her own in a “man’s world”. Armed with wit, intelligence, and shoulder pads, she held several positions including administrative assistant with Motive Suppliers, and Conrail Corporation. Dee was also an entrepreneur, opening a tanning salon before they were all the rage. Ahead of her time, unfortunately, the tanning salon was 10 years too early, and the business failed to take off. She also designed and marketed D’Answer, a beautiful stained glass box to house blocky desk phones and answering machines as a solution to messy wires causing unsightly décor.

Dee’s creativity had no boundaries, she had a flair for being a nonconformist and expressed herself in many ways that included creating one-of-a-kind, attention-getting, edgy Halloween costumes. 

When grandsons Justin and Bryan came along, Dee focused her attention on them, always wanting what was best for them. She helped to develop and support their interests, taking them on outings to the zoo, aquariums, beaches, and movies. She influenced and taught them a lot from a young age and encouraged them to be gentlemanly and develop good character.

The Later Years

As Dee grew older, she retired from the professional workplace and became a representative for Nutro pet products, a perfect fit for her vibrant personality. She enjoyed the social aspect of the position which enabled her to interact with other pet owners while getting paid to do what she loved. 

Dee yearned to visit Egypt, a dream trip she talked about for years that finally came to fruition as she rang in the new millennium in Egypt. It was everything she anticipated it would be - the trip of her lifetime.

Dee moved to Oak Run in Ocala, FL in 2013 where she enjoyed the many activities available to residents. She served as president of the Oak Run Gardening Club, stepping down in 2022 due to declining health. She lived in Oak Run until last year when a stroke resulted in her loss of independence, requiring full time nursing care. Sadly, Dee never fully recovered from the stroke and her health continued to fail until she left her frail body on November 6, 2023, at Citrus Health and Rehabilitation in Inverness, FL.

A Lifelong Love of Animals

Dee instilled a great love of animals in her children and grandchildren. Many pets lived their best lives with Dee, including her beloved Tramp, Izzy, Wizzy, and Gizzy who have been patiently waiting for her by the Rainbow Bridge with their tails wagging.

Those Left Behind

Dee is survived by her daughters Cynthia Ahern (Scott), Wendy P. Mays (Paul), and Tami Whittock (Robert), grandsons Justin, Bryan, Eric, Andrew and Matthew, brother Charles, and beloved fur pups, Willow and Gigi. 

In Remembrance

In loving memory of my mother, Deanne Brown, my best friend, my stepping stone. You’re aways in my heart and never will be far away. I miss you; I love you, rest in peace. Your loving daughter, Tami. 

I want to remember you as a young, beautiful, vibrant, and pain-free mom. You were the “cool mom”, the band mom - our biggest fan. You let my band practice in the basement at any hour of the day. You passed your love of gardening on to me, and it played a role in my career as a horticulturalist and naturalist. A favorite memory is when you were living in an apartment surrounded by asphalt and concrete, and I planted a hummingbird garden on the pavement using a grouping of containers. One day, you called to tell me a hummingbird was visiting the flowers – we were both thrilled! Every December, you would pile me, Wendy, and Tami into the car and drive around the area so we could see all the holiday decorations, and as an adult, I have continued this tradition. We enjoyed many visits to Longwood Gardens over the years, and I have a lifetime of memories from our visits from several perspectives: as a child, as an adult - mother and daughter, and with grandsons Justin, Bryan, and Eric. It was always the same, yet always new and different at the same time. I took my class to Longwood for a behind the scenes tour last week, but I could not bring myself to enter the gardens or the conservatory, it is just too soon. I remember we would walk on the beach together when you were younger, and our last trip together to Gulfport when we visited Fort DeSoto beach. You had a passion for history and were delighted with the historic hotel, especially the 100 year old elevator. Watching you decline was like seeing the last remnants of my childhood crumble away. I will always love you, miss you, and remember the good times. Your energy is ever-present, and perhaps you will appear one day as a hummingbird visiting my garden. Rest in peace, now.  Love, Cindy

This poem ©1989 Colleen Corah Hitchcock was found in mom’s desk drawer while cleaning out the house earlier this year. We believe this was intended this to be a message to us:

ASCENSION

And if I go,

while you’re still here…

Know that I live on,

vibrating to a different measure

~behind a thin veil you cannot see through.

You will not see me,

so you must have faith.

I wait for the time when we can soar together again,

~ Both aware of each other.

Until then, live your life to its fullest.

And when you need me, 

Just whisper my name in your heart,

-      …I will be there.

Donations may be made in Deanne’s memory to The Humane Society of Marion County 

Link: https://thehsmc.org/donate-now/ (please include Deanne’s name in the notes for payment)

Address: 701 NW 14th Rd., Ocala, FL 34475 (please include Deanne’s name on the memo line for payment)

Phone:  352-873-7387 (all memorial payments may also be taken over the phone during business hours)