Eleanor Crain Bradley Brown

Mrs. Eleanor Crain Bradley Brown, 89, of Mount Airy, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson. Eleanor was born on January 30, 1936, in Kershaw, SC, to the Rev. William Johns and Elizabeth “Bessie” Tibbs Bradley, who preceded her in death.

After graduating from Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC, she taught music and English in schools and orphanages throughout the greater Charlotte area. In 1963, she met Dean W. Brown; they married and later moved to Clewiston, FL, and then to Lake Placid, FL, where she taught elementary school and owned and operated Lake Placid Florist.

In 1979, the Browns moved to Mount Airy, where Eleanor continued teaching and later worked in insurance before becoming a full-time employee of Moody Funeral Services, a role she dearly loved. She was extremely proud of playing music at innumerable area churches, filling in on organ and piano for their worship services. Miss Ellie also played the organ for Moody’s services whenever needed, often with no advance notice. Eleanor retired in 1998 and spent her later years enjoying gardening, teaching music, theatre, and hosting parties in their Folly Farms Circle home.

Eleanor is now waiting for the rest of her family to catch up, including her husband, Dean W. Brown of Ridgecrest Lane, Mount Airy; her son, Mark T. Brown and his wife, Jennifer, of Mount Airy; her daughter, Molly Elizabeth Brown of Pfafftown; her grandchildren, Kate Brown-Surber and her husband, Clay, of Richmond, VA, John-Henry “Sam” Brown of Raleigh, and Dominick Griffin of Pfafftown; her brother, Philip T. Bradley of Greenville, SC; her sister-in-law, Jeanette Chappell of Mount Airy; her nephew, Davis Bradley of Buffalo, NY; her nieces, Stephanie McDuffie and her husband, David, and Julie Marion and her husband, Stan, all of Mount Airy; and her furry child, Eddie, who is also grieving her absence.

In addition to her parents, Eleanor was preceded in death by her daughter-in-law, Shasta Bode-Brown of Mount Airy; and her brother and sister-in-law, William Bradley, Sr. and Eleanor Brown of Saint George, Ontario, Canada.

A memorial service will be held on Eleanor’s birthday, Friday, January 30, 2026, at 4:00 PM at Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy, with the Rev. Jay Meadows officiating. The family will receive friends prior to the service beginning at 3:00 PM. Eleanor will be laid to rest in the columbarium at First Baptist Church of Mount Airy.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home, 945 Zephyr Road, Dobson, NC 27017. The hospice home staff provided exceptional care and compassion to the Brown family during their time of greatest need.