Homegoing services set for dedicated South DeKalb community leader Ann Brown

Family and friends will celebrate the life of Ann Brown on Monday, April 12, 1 p.m., at Donald Trimble Mortuary Chapel, 1876 Second Ave., Decatur, GA. The homegoing service will be held in person with a limit of 50 people attending, but will be lived streamed by Donald Trimble Mortuary for the community at-large.

Brown, who was fondly nicknamed the “Mayor of Belvedere because of her unwavering dedication to the community where she lived,” passed away on Saturday, April 3 after illness. She had suffered a brain aneurism a year ago and began having medical difficulty days before she was taken to the hospital, her daughter Martia Moss, said. Ms. Brown was 74.

DeKalb County District 3 Commissioner Larry Johnson, who worked very closely with Ms. Brown on a number of community projects, lauded her as a leader who worked tirelessly to make South DeKalb a better place for its residents.

“She was an advocate of the people and loved her neighborhood, Belverdere. She helped get Avondale Mall torn down and revitalized by bringing the Wal-mart in, 400 new jobs, and the Healthy Belverdere Project with Kaiser that focused on healthy eating and active \living,” Johnson said.

Johnson said Brown also pushed for improvements at Shoal Creek Park,

the streetscscape on Memorial Drive and successfully fought to have a strip club removed from Alamenda Plaza.

One of Ms. Brown’s greatest accomplishments as a community change agent was her successful push for the installation of sidewalks on Glenwood Road, a project that began in 2007. In 2019, county officials celebrated the second phase of three completed with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Ms. Brown attended the ceremony. She had lobbied for sidewalks after a young cousin was killed on the road. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission, Glenwood Road, with approximately 18,000 vehicles per day at the time, had a history as one of the top three corridors in DeKalb for pedestrian-related fatalities.

“She was a mother, grandmother and true activist,” said Johnson. “I will miss her so much.”

Ms. Brown is survived by two daughters, Martia Moss, of Decatur, and Nikisia Brown, of Clarkston; five grandchildren; and one