Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-19-21

Feature
Pioneer Educator Of Childcare Follows Sister In Death
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
She buried 4 of her children chronologi- cally; and her sister 2-1/2 months ago.
Mrs. Lillian Bryant Williams Brown passed away over the weekend, just 2-1/2 months after her sister, and less than a year after her daughter. Mrs. Brown was 94 years old. She passed on Feb. 13, 2021, and would have celebrated her 95th birthday on Monday, Febru- ary 22, 2021.
As a childcare provider and a teacher of kinder- garteners, Mrs. Brown started her career along with her sister, Leila Bryant Aldridge as the childcare providers at First Baptist Church of College Hill, in the basement. That was in the early 1950s. Mrs. Aldridge died on November 20, 2020.
Over the years, the sisters
touched the lives of hun- dreds of area children, watched as they made suc- cessful career choices, and even traveled to many of their graduations – near and far.
Not only did Mrs. Brown work with children in the daycare, she actively worked with the children at her home church, First Bap- tist Church of College Hill. She worked with the junior choir, junior ushers, plays put on by the church, and the youth in Vacation Bible School. She was dedicated to her church.
With a desire to further her own education, Mrs. Brown attended Gibbs Jun- ior College and earned her AA degree.
In the early 1970s, she opened Little Angel Day Care Center on 34th St., near 21st Ave. Mrs. Aldridge would go on to open Aldridge Child- care Center. Although on their own, the sisters, always
MRS. LILLIAN BRYANT WILLIAMS BROWN
“had each other’s back,” as
Betoria Watson, Mrs. Brown’s youngest daughter would say. “They worked to- gether and were always there for each other in every situa- tion. Their mother died when they were very young, leav- ing behind 3 children. Their brother died several years ago. So they had each other.”
Mrs. Brown was offered an opportunity to attend a seminar at Bethune-Cook-
man College in 1975. The registrar inquired of her about completing her educa- tion. She agreed. Mrs. Wat- son was already in college there. Mrs. Brown moved in the dorm, became a dorm counselor and student mother, and had her own set of friends – not her daugh- ter’s friends. While a student at B-CC, she pledged Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and gradu- ated with her daughter in 1977.
She rerurned to Hillsbor- ough County, taught kinder- garten for several years before retiring.
FYI
strong leader and a business- woman. She catered to her community, taking them shopping, preparing meals for those who were not able, until her health began to fail.
Mrs. Brown buried 4 of her 5 children in chronologi- cal order – Beatrice Williams Black, Howard (Bro) Williams Harold Williams, and Birdie (Ilene) Williams Under- wood, who passed in March 2020.
In addition to Mrs. Wat- son, Mrs. Brown is sur- vived by grand and great-grandchildren.
6,297 New Florida Coronavirus Cases Reported; 225 New Deaths
The Florida Department
Sarasota: 25,982
Mrs. Brown was a of Health says the number of
Funeral services are
known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 6,297 Sun- day. and 225 deaths Tues- day. According to the state's daily update, the total num- ber of cases in Florida is now 1,837,659. Tampa added 1,221 cases and 64 deaths.
The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 28,779 an increase of 96 since Saturday's update. In addition, a total of 496 non- Floridians have died in the state.
Locally, Hillsborough County is reporting two new deaths Wednesday.
Of the 1,837,285 cases, 1,794,155 are Florida resi- dents while 33,218 are non- Florida residents in the state.
Bay Area COVID-19 cases by the numbers:
Hillsborough: 106,996 Pinellas: 63,568
Manatee: 30,557 Sumter: 7,597 Polk: 54,829
The state is not reporting a total number of "recov- ered" coronavirus patients. As of Sunday, the number of Floridians currently hospi- talized for a primary diagno- sis of COVID-19 was 4,673, with the state reporting a total of 76,109 hospitalized for treatment at some point.
Vaccination efforts con- tinue across the state. Satur- day, 11,205 more patients received their first vaccine dose in Florida. Meanwhile, 18,121 more people received their second and final dose, meaning 1,135,963 have completed both rounds.
In Hillsborough County, 114, 923 people have been vaccinated, in Pinellas 108,789, in Pasco 49, 902 and Polk 54,715.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021