Mary Kathleen Brown

October 6, 1951 - September 15, 2021

Mary Kathleen Brown passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at her home in Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, just three weeks shy of her 70th birthday. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, John Francis Brown, Jr. and Mary Schwarz Brown, and by her brother James Michael Brown. She is survived by her husband Tom Rogers, son Nathan Brown Rogers and his wife Annie Scharf Rogers and their children Virginia Grace Rogers and MacRae Thomas Rogers, son Benjamin Brown Rogers and his dog Doris, and by five loving sisters. Mary was born in Ottawa, Illinois and grew up in Kankakee, Illinois. She graduated from Southern Illinois University, completed her Dietetic Internship at Mass General Hospital in Boston, received a Master’s Degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and then completed post-graduate work at the University of Washington in Seattle. Professionally, Mary worked in nutrition at the Oak Ridge Hospital, the Knox County Health Department, and as a consultant for Fresenius Health Care. She found great satisfaction and reward from working with her patients. Mary was a very active, independent person who embraced life’s opportunities fully wherever and whenever possible. She back-packed through Europe, hiked regularly with a group in the Great Smoky Mountains, played volleyball and tennis, and helped coach her sons’ soccer and baseball teams. Later in life, she played duplicate bridge regularly, and loved being with her friends at the Deane Hill Recreation Center and on-line. Mary was an avid sports fan, rooting for UNC and UT teams and the Arsenal Football club, and following professional tennis very closely. She also loved to garden, and cherished her perennial flower beds at home. A celebration of life ceremony will be held at UT Gardens April 9, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. A livestream of the service will start at 2:00 pm at https://www.facebook.com/RoseMannHeritage In lieu of flowers, please consider donations locally to the Interfaith Clinic, 315 Gill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917 or to Second Harvest Food Bank 136 Harvest Lane, Maryville, TN 37801. Arrangements by Rose Funeral and Cremation – Mann.