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Hannah was a special needs member of God’s family. Hannah’s life began in a very special way and her parents knew that she was a true gift from God. She was the cherished sister of Josh, Sarah and Rachel. Hannah was born with Spina Bifida Arnold-Chiari Malformation, and was confined to a wheelchair, utilized a tracheotomy to breathe, and received all of her food through a feeding tube. She was able to communicate with sign language and her favorite signs were "I love you" and "thumbs up," which meant – things are all good! She had many additional complications that are too numerous to list. Doctors have told her parents her whole life that she won’t survive during every complication. They had urged them to abort her before she was born. Hannah has beat impossible odds when she came into this world. We knew God had a plan from the very start.
Hannah had the pleasure of making friends wherever she went. She was an instant hit with so, so many people. It was a skill that sometimes got us into trouble, especially when she met our friends…friends whose name we should know. We would be enjoying polite conversation and she would do the all too familiar sign which meant she wanted to know that person’s name… we would try to signal her to stand down, but after a bit she would become quite insistent. So much so that the other person would pick up on it and ask, “what’s she saying?”. We would then humbly interpret her and if we didn’t know it, we would have to humbly ask our friend’s name.
Hannah was the queen of icebreakers.
She had a database of jokes on her talking device that would make anyone laugh with tears coming out of their eyes *tears/flick*.
That was something Hannah got so much joy out of, making others joyful.
Everyone was introduced to her fingernails, which would change, to her delight, on a monthly basis. She needed them to look their best when she met new people.
She loved to engage others. She wanted them to know that she ‘saw’ them…and she wanted them to ‘see’ her too. She helped to demystify her disabilities to strangers and show herself as a sweet, charming young lady, who had a love for life. People found so much delight in her.
Hannah loved birthdays! She loved to sign happy birthday and have it sung to her. She even celebrated her half birthday! She made sure to celebrate her birthdays well in advance and had plenty of early celebrations of her 26th birthday.
She had more joy than anyone we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was a reflection of Jesus’ light that shone with her bright smile. She had such a love for the Lord and others around her. Her hugs were fierce and she would grab a hold of you, like she knew she had a limited number to give. She blessed everyone around her who wondered how someone with her disabilities could have her amount of joy. One close friend commented, “she’s just happy to be breathing”.
Hannah was the miracle child who has survived everything by God’s grace. We saw so many miracles in her life. She would come out of lengthy complicated surgeries with a smile and a thumbs up. Hannah was the strongest person we ever knew.
She was also very patient. She would count down the days until she would be reunited with her close friends and family. After our long journey, this was a greeting that would be incredibly heartwarming for all of us. When we saw her, she would have the biggest, most excited face ready to greet you with clapping hands and that giant hug. We know that same face and same hug will be greeting us when we finish this life here, but she will be standing and will have the most beautiful voice. A voice we have been waiting her whole life to hear.
She loved going to school and looked forward to seeing all of her fantastic friends and the school staff at Pine Tree School in Lake Orion. Hannah earned her high school diploma and had earned a certificate for her special needs school. This was her last year and she was excited to go through another joyous graduation this upcoming Spring.
Hannah kept busy with several hobbies. She loved to go horseback riding. She was very active with special Olympics and competed in both the Bocce and Bowling. She was an award-winning artist, producing paintings, quilts and pillows that her family cherishes. She also played piano and other musical instruments, even playing the bongo drums in a band! Hannah also loved to get her nails done every month with her mom. She loved pink, purple and sparkles! She also liked to travel, and visited many US and Canadian national parks with her parents in their RV.
We loved traveling with Hannah. We are so thankful for the National Parks that create ADA trails accessible for everyone to see God’s beautiful creation. We had the opportunity to take Hannah to see the tallest tree species in the world, the coastal redwoods in the Avenue of the Giants. Hannah reached up to the tree tops and was awestruck by their size. They were unbelievable. She strolled her chair inside them and laughed. How odd to be inside a tree with a wheelchair?! She touched the fallen down ones and put her fingers on the rings as her nephews tried to count the incredible amount of years.
We went to see the National Parks in Utah and saw the beautiful sandstone arches. She gave rides to her nephews on her wheelchair. Together she took them around…like a piggyback ride. She giggled the whole time and the boys would toss their heads back enjoying the breeze in their hair. Their love for each other warms my heart. She would sit backwards in her Hannah Banana Van so she could talk to us in the backseat. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with us. She and the boys would pledge to be good junior rangers every chance they could. They loved exploring together.
We had a beautiful day visiting the Pacific Ocean with a beach wheelchair, where Hannah splashed in the water. She was so thrilled, she cheered! It was so life-giving to us watching this precious moment. It brought tears to our eyes. We were so happy that she had such joy.
It was an honor to be part of her life. We are so honored to have known her.
We will be together again, and this time…for eternity. Jesus is so good to provide the grace we need to be with him.
Hannah has shown our family how to love. I remember thinking some time after she was born, how our family had changed. We had a big giant chunk of ‘self’ sliced off. A piece we needed removed. We learned to see each other better. To actually put someone else first; to begin to show the fruits of the spirit. We would have been so lost without this light from Jesus. She has taught us so much! It was a miracle 26 years in the making of how she changed all of us and will continue to live on through our own actions of love and joy.
She was the kind of listener you wish you could be. She LOVED listening. She replayed every message she ever received from anyone over and over until she got a new one. She loved everyone so much.
She loved Woodside Bible Church in Pontiac, Lake Orion, and Troy, especially the music. She loved praising the Lord and took her musical shaker out every time she heard worship music. People would come up to her after service wondering where this joy comes from. They knew after speaking with her that it came from the Lord. Even though she couldn’t sing for us to hear, she knew her words were heard by the One who hears hearts.
Hannah Elizabeth Brown, 25, of Clarkston entered the gates of Heaven and met her Heavenly Father on November 10, 2021. Hannah was able to give the gift of life to three other individuals after her passing, a true testament to her incredible and generous spirit.
Hannah was born on November 18, 1995 to Bill and Barbara (Proctor) Brown.
Hannah embodied the Fruits of the Spirit, and believed that Jesus died in her place to give her life eternal!
Hannah’s legacy and memory will forever be cherished by her family; parents Bill and Barb Brown; siblings Joshua (Colleen) Brown, Sarah (Will) Zvekan and Rachel (Jeff) Valice; nieces and nephews Emmet Zvekan, Annabelle Valice, Nash Zvekan, Zachary Brown, Conrad Valice, Declan Brown and Oliver Valice. She cherished her role as auntie and loved to hold her nieces and nephews when they were babies. She was so looking forward to meeting her newest baby niece due in 2022. In addition to her family, Hannah's closest companions were her home care nursing team, including Lisa Garrett, Kathy Sowa, Adrienne Garbarino, and Anne Flack. Hannah was greeted in Heaven by her paternal grandparents Thomas and Betty Brown, her Aunt Sue Shelton and her Uncle Larry Ettinger, and longtime nurses Kathleen Frank and Marie Bailey.
Hannah always loved butterflies, and we like to think of her as our own little butterfly, with each flap of her wings causing outsized effects on the world.