Jean Brooks Warren
Simple P leasures
BY: ROBIN COWHERD
J
ean Brooks was born in 1924 in the small town of Marshall, North Carolina. The daughter of a cotton farmer, one of Jean’s chores as a little girl was to “take her daddy some water” as he worked the fields each summer. She did not like this chore and to display her displeasure she stood on his foot to punish him for making her bring water to him. The end result was both of them laughing. Jean could not have imagined growing up with a better home life. By her own admission Jean was and is “sassy.” Jean’s definition of “sassy” refers to her lifelong commitment to say what she means. The formal definition of sassy is “bold, lively and full of spirit.” From her early years standing on her father’s foot on the farm, followed by her senior years doing mission work in Africa, and through her super senior years befriending the residents at her assisted living facility Jean has met the definition of “sassy.” Jean Brooks Warren has been her own person: a spirit-filled child, a hard-working wife, mother of three sons and grandmother to eight more and living her life faithfully for 93 years. As a child, Jean attended the Union Baptist Church in Marshall. Jean explains that, “The church was down the road a piece and it was a place where I knew everyone.” She remembers being baptized in this church at about eight on nine years of age following an altar call. “My father did not make me do that,” she says. Rather, he waited for her and prayed at the front of the church, embracing her with open arms when she walked to the front, allowing this “sassy girl” to make her own decision regarding her faith. Jean’s father had a tremendous influence on Jean’s life. His name was Joel Clyde Brooks and he and his brothers made up the Brooks Brothers Singers who rode their horses throughout the countryside to churches that invited them to sing to their congregations. Jean says, “I remember them singing the old country gospel music and
one of the songs was When We All Get to Heaven.” To prove it, Jean belted out the refrain with a broad smile. What a Day of Rejoicing that Will Be! It was as if the Brooks Brothers Singers were on horseback at the entrance to the assisted living facility. Jean’s faith stayed with her as she graduated from Marshall High School and headed off to find herself. She was a young woman wanting to do something different in her adult life. “The goal,” she says, “was to reach one goal and if she did not like it, look for something else.” Jean moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and her first job was working as a teller in a bank. “My boss sat on a balcony, looking down at the tellers. He would tell us that if robbers came in, we should just drop to the floor and we would be safe.” She liked her boss. His name was Edmund Pickney Warren and went by E.P. As part of her job Jean occasionally took papers up to the balcony. “I was careful to climb the stairs very slowly, so my boss would notice me,” she said. He must have noticed, because he began courting Jean and they were married in 1942 when she was eighteen years old.
Having reached a marriage goal, Jean now set out to discover a new goal – she wanted children. One day she was walking down the street in Charlotte and her eyes fell upon a beautiful rocking chair in a store window. “I want that rocking chair for when I have babies,” Jean exclaimed. E.P. bought her the rocking chair and it remains a part of the family to this day. She did indeed use the rocker following the births of her three sons Ed, born in 1948, Larry, born in 1953, and Paul, born in 1959.
lady. Jean was completely surprised and enjoyed the celebration immensely. She says, “I never lost the love of family, I still have it and it continues with all the grandchildren.” Her dreams and goals changed some during these years but a major experience occurred in 2013 when she followed her missionary son Larry into the mission field. Larry and his wife Mary work with Leadership International training church leaders and funding orphan care in six African countries. They did not need to work hard to convince Jean to come to Africa. Mary simply told Jean, “I need someone to hold the babies there who have no mothers.” That was all she needed to say. Jean would go with Mary to the orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya to hold, feed, and play with the babies to give the staff a break and allow Mary more time with the children with disabilities.
Jean and E.P. were both strong Christians. After a career in business, E.P. began studying to be a pastor and completed his studies at Wake Forest University. He embarked on a second career as a pastor for several Baptist churches over the next twenty- five years. Jean declares, “He never had a church he was paid to go in. He would say, ‘My pay is seeing what I worked for in life… to help people to accept Christ as their savior.’ E.P. usually had a bookkeeping job while pastoring that provided most of their income. He died from cancer in 1992 at the age of 72, while holding the hand of his dear Jean. In the years following the death of E.P., Jean continued to find joy in life through her sons and their families. In 2005, son Paul arranged for an 80th birthday party for Jean aboard the American Rover, a Sailing Schooner out of Norfolk. Paul rented the entire vessel for the occasion. Nearly all of the immediate family and numerous close friends attended. Approximately 80 people, all touched by a lifetime of Jean’s loving-kindness, were present to honor this wonderful
Jean in Kenya at the orphanage
Jean said, “My sister thought I was crazy. Going to Africa at the age of 88 for one year was literally risking my life, but I felt that I had to go where my faith was telling me to go.” Not only was Jean visiting an orphanage, but also she was becoming a part of the community by attending the International Christian Fellowship. Many in the church and at the school came to know Jean as “Grandma” during the time spent in the ministries there. Jean checked off one of those life goals with the trip. Jean moved into an assisted living facility in 2016. For many seniors, there is aggravation with a transition to assisted living. Many people find making friends in such venues to be generally difficult. Not for Jean. As she says it, “I try to make friends wherever I am.” Like the lady down the hall that occasionally spewed criticism and harsh language to people walking down the hall. Jean approached her one-day and complemented the lovely dress she was wearing. She told the lady she was really a beautiful woman, but not when she shouted negative comments to others. The lady asked Jean, “Would you help me stop shouting?” Another friend made.
"Let us be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day." In another case, Jean was assigned a meal table with a man who swore in just about every sentence. He was not very friendly and appeared to be troubled in some way. Consistent with Jean’s philosophy of life, she reached out to this man by calmly stating, “I don’t speak with cuss words and asked why he did.” She also shared her faith with the man. After consistent corrections from Jean the man calmed down somewhat and held a respectful conversation. Jean suffered tragic losses in her life like everyone. The death of her husband at age 72 was a tremendous loss. He oldest son Ed, a Presbyterian pastor, died an untimely death in 1984. More recently, she has lost most of her vision. How does Jean face these pitfalls in life? “I take my burdens to the Lord and leave them there,” she says. “When my son Ed died, I was so angry with God. When I said in my prayers to God all I could say was, ‘I can’t talk with you right now.’ And after a while, I just
told God that the only way I could not have this anger is if He took it from me, which He did.” Jean suffers from macular degeneration and can recognize people and can walk around the facility on her own, but cannot read. “I cried when I lost my vision and could not read my Bible but my son Larry said that I already knew all the words in it anyway and that made me feel better,” Jean explained. As we approached the end of our interview, one of the staff members at her residence brought us warm, chocolate chip cookies. After thanking the staff member she said while nibbling, “I am really happy all the time, especially when someone brings me a cookie!” Simple pleasures have made Jean Warren’s life joyful and her goals fulfilled: her love of God and family, rocking in a special chair, comforting orphaned babies, and finding peace in her surroundings. “ Let us be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day; just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay.”