Doris Goodwin Washington Brown

“The family of Doris Goodwin Brown kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers or plants, donations be made to Zion Baptist Church, 801 Washington Street, Columbia, SC 29201, or online at https://zion-baptist-church.com/give. Thank you.”

During the early morning of Saturday, September 13, 2025, Doris Goodwin Washington Brown, peacefully and quickly, made the transition from earthly existence to her heavenly home. After 92 years and 8 months of living responsibly and admirably on this earth, she slipped away to meet the legions of friends and family that preceded her.

Doris was born on December 31, 1932, the daughter of the late Addison Goodwin and the late Dorothy Reed. She had the privilege of growing up in a multi-generational household which was the custom during her childhood. This early rearing experience and exposure shaped her into the strong, phenomenal woman of substance that she would become.

She attended Howard Elementary School and the historical Booker T. Washington High School in Richland One, graduating in the early fifties. After high school, she trained to become a cosmetologist and began working in Martha's Beauty Salon in the one thousand block of Washington Street. She framed the first dollar earned which signified her serious attitude toward saving and having her own.

In the sixties, she made a change and started working at the Horsman Dolls factory for a decade. Due to her resourcefulness, she was able to buy her first car which was a brand-new 1964 Comet Caliente. The significance of this was that very few women were able to buy a vehicle in their own name during that time, and especially minority women. Ater leaving the doll factory, she began working at General Electric in Irmo which later became Mepco. She stayed there until she retired at age sixty-two. She had been a very dependable employee, but she also wanted to have other streams of income. During her working years she began to make investments in real estate and financial markets. She proved to be a savvy businesswoman and an efficient landlord. She gave many of her tenants breaks to keep a roof over their heads when they were struggling. She maintained her property and did many of the repairs herself.

She was first married to Clarence "Booster" Washington, and they had one son, Ty. After divorcing in the late fifties, she started a new life with Robert "Bobby" Brown. This union was blessed with 57 years until 2017 with the passing of Bobby. They also had one son, Greg. She excelled as a mother to both of her children, and they always saw their mother as a hard-working, God-fearing model of stability. Her reliability and constant reinforcement as her children grew up gave them the assurance they needed to navigate life.

Doris was a faithful member of St. Luke Baptist for over fifty years until 2002. She and her husband decided to join Zion in 2002 where both sons were already members. She also wanted to strengthen her ties to the community and became the president of the Howard School Club. She thoroughly enjoyed her membership in this group and the fact that most members knew each other from childhood.

Never one to seek attention or be in the limelight, Doris was always a quiet, dignified, and formidable presence. She was benevolent with the disadvantaged, never infringed on others, and had the wisdom to manage any problem that she had to deal with. She would take a stand for any perceived injustice and would make sure there was a remedy that was satisfactory.

Preceding her in death were her mother and father; her aunt who helped to rear her and was like a mother, Mildred Young; her aunt, Annie "Snoochie" Reed; sister, Glodine Allen Davis; spouse, Robert Brown; her "third mama," Helen "Granny" Suber; her double first cousin, Frank Addison Goodwin; her step-daughter, Alma Strozier, and so many others waiting to welcome her to eternity.

Surviving her are her two loving and devoted sons, Ty R. Washington and Deacon Gregory A. (Gail) Brown; five grandsons, A. Jermaine (Erica) Washington, Chad Gonzalez-Washington; Quentin Samuel, Galen Ross Brown, and Dana R. (Kristin) Brown; eighteen great-grands, brother-in-law, Jerry Pugh, nieces and nephews, special niece/daughter, Denise Allen-Hodges; and other loving relatives and close friends.

Waiting to greet her with open arms are many of her long-term great friends who went ahead of her: Juanita "Pie" Martin, Mary Chattman, "Honey" Noble, Delores "Pat" English, Thelma Mack, Lois Stewart, Marilyn West, Dorothy Davenport, Sylvia Adams, and others. The thought of that wonderful reunion gives comfort to the family

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