Arrahwannah Brown Monroe

Arrahwannah Brown Monroe passed peacefully to the next life in the early morning hours of October 13th, 2024. In her own home, she was surrounded by her beloved family.

 Arrahwannah was born on September 8th, 1934 in Ballground, Georgia, entering the Earth in her cherished Granny’s farmhouse, the site of her happiest childhood memories. The eldest of five, she is predeceased by her brothers Floyd P. Brown Jr., Thaddeus Kavanaugh Brown, George Lloyd Brown, her parents Floyd Patton Brown and Frances Duff Brown, and her son Marvin Doyle (Skipper) Monroe Jr., with whom we rejoice that she is now, finally, reunited.

 She is survived by a sister, Regina Gail Dove, as well as her daughter, Vicki Frances Monroe Spivey, a son-in-law, Dr. Oscar Smith Spivey Jr., a granddaughter, Frances Monroe Spivey, of Asheville, North Carolina, and a grandson, Oscar Smith (Kav) Spivey III, of Nashville, Tennessee.

 Arrahwannah was multifaceted, dynamic, and vibrant, a complex and even contradictory person whose portrait we can only attempt to sketch yet never capture in these few words. A naturalist at heart, she was never more content than when basking on the shores of Georgia’s Golden Isles, watching the snowfall, the rain, the birds, or — her particular passion — the mystical hummingbird. Her children delighted in memories of her support of their nurturing everything from squirrels and hamsters to birds and horses in the family home. In her deep connection to the natural world, she inspired the same in her children and grandchildren, all tenders of the Earth in their own ways. 

 A voracious reader and naturally gifted writer despite no formal education, Arrahwannah instilled a deep love of reading, writing and storytelling in her family, particularly in the heart of her granddaughter, who pens these words.

 In an era in which it was more challenging for a woman to be so, Arrahwannah was an adventurer. At just seventeen she took the train from Macon, Georgia — her home for the majority of her life — to Washington, D.C., where she quickly gained top security clearance in her work at the Pentagon, the beginning of a 30+ year career working for the federal government. She delighted in the international travel she enjoyed, regaling her family with tales of her travels, particularly to Spain and Italy. After retirement, Arrahwannah moved to Franklin, North Carolina, where she spent over twenty happy years living alongside a roaring creek in the mountains, enjoying frequent visits with extended family and many friends. In her final chapter, she moved to McMinnville, Tennessee, spending her last years in the company of her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

 A passionate baker, her family revels in the memories of her Boston cream pies, birthday cakes (two separate cakes lovingly crafted for each of her children, who — though not twins — synchronistically shared their day of birth), journey cakes, strawberry shortcakes, biscuits and more. 

 We would be remiss if we did not mention the life partner, best friend and near-constant companion she found in Doyle, her husband of seventy-one years. “The greatest man I’ve ever known,” she remarked to her granddaughter in her final days. 

 Of Arrahwannah, a friend once aptly noted — “She’s never been a shrinking violet.” She was as much renowned for her sometimes sardonic sense of humor as her striking countenance. She was so many things and among them all, so very brilliantly alive. 

 How can we possibly sum up such a life in a few scant paragraphs? In the words of Dr. Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

 Arrahwannah’s legacy is of love, a fire that will continue to keep her alive within our hearts, and in our actions, until our own passing from this Earthly plane. For this, we are infinitely grateful.

High Funeral Home and High's Cremations, Inc. are in charge of arrangements. 

Online condolences may be made at www.highfuneralhome.com.