Widow of a hero mourned: Phyllis Brown dies at 52

Phyllis Brown, who became a public figure as an anguished widow seeking justice for her husband, the murdered sheriff-elect of DeKalb County, was remembered Christmas Day by friends and family for her strength.

"She was committed," said the couple's daughter, Brandy Rhodes, recalling her mother's testimony in court. "She wanted them to pay for what they did to my father. It was important for her to be there. And hold herself together."

Earlier this month, on the sixth anniversary of her husband's murder, Brown had attended a vigil at the grave site with family and friends, said longtime confidante Frances Dixson.

"I always told her, and I told her when Derwin died, one thing they could be thankful for, was they loved each other," Dixson said. "He loved her. She loved him. A lot of people don't experience that."

Brown, whose husband, Derwin Brown, was shot to death Dec. 15, 2000, in the driveway of their DeKalb County home, died Sunday at DeKalb Medical Center of heart failure following respiratory distress, Rhodes said.

Funeral arrangements were being handled by Donald Trimble Mortuary in Decatur.

The death stunned family members and friends, who said Brown, 52, had recently started to recover from the debilitating effects of a March 2003 stroke that had robbed her of her speech.

Brown had regained some of her independence, her daughter said, and had made plans for travel with friends.

Brown died about 6 p.m. Christmas Eve at the hospital, where she was taken after she fell and had trouble breathing, said Rhodes, who had cared for her mother following her stroke.

Rhodes and other family were at the hospital with their mother.

Dixson, a friend for almost 30 years, tried to counsel Brown through her losses.

Her husband was gunned down in the driveway of their home on her 46th birthday, just days before he was scheduled to take office.

Brown later watched in court as former Sheriff Sidney Dorsey was convicted in July 2002 of masterminding the killing.

Dorsey, who had been defeated by Derwin Brown in his quest for re-election, was sentenced to life in prison.

Two co-conspirators, Melvin Walker and David Ramsey, were acquitted of charges in state court relating to Brown's killing. They later were convicted in federal court of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and sentenced to life in prison.

Eight months after Dorsey's conviction, in March 2003, Phyllis Brown suffered a major stroke that left her unable to speak more than a few words. Still, she testified against Walker and Ramsey at their federal trial.

She then filed a wrongful death suit against DeKalb County, Dorsey, and his co-conspirators, but the Georgia Court of Appeals dismissed the claims. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to revisit the ruling.

Geraldine Champion, who said she would have been Derwin Brown's chief deputy, had sympathy for his widow, who tried to seek justice for her husband, and her family, despite significant health problems.

"There's only so much a body can take," she said.

Dixson bonded with Brown over a shared membership in the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. Brown insisted last July that the two friends attend an annual convention in Florida. "Most people got to know her as a result of Derwin's death, but they didn't really know the person she was," Dixson said. "She was giving and loving."

Rhodes, her only daughter, described Brown as "a great woman, who stood next to a great man."

Brown had a soft spot for children who needed help, her daughter said. Growing up, Rhodes became accustomed to seeing her mother take in neighborhood kids who needed a place to stay, or get away from their own homes.

"She has tons of kids who call her 'Mom,' who aren't her kids," Rhodes said. "Through the years, we took in a lot of strays."

In addition to her daughter, Brown is survived by her mother, Bertha Oliver, 89, of Stone Mountain; stepson Marlon Robinson of Stone Mountain; sons Maurice Douglas of Lithonia, Robert Brown of Decatur and Michael Brown of Stone Mountain; and eight grandchildren.

Staff writer Saeed Ahmed contributed to this article.

Copyright 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution