Late Jamaica Observer journalist Ingrid Brown was celebrated as a woman of integrity, compassion and humility yesterday at a thanksgiving service for her life at Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston.

The 39 year old died last month at the University Hospital of the West Indies where she was admitted, having suffered from an autoimmune condition that affected her liver.

Many persons came out yesterday to pay tribute to Brown, hailing her as an individual “with a huge heart” who genuinely cared for others, especially the disadvantaged.

“She was always seeking out ways and means to assist anyone she felt was at a disadvantage,” senior reporter at the Jamaica Observer Alphea Saunders said in a remembrance delivered jointly with Marie Berbick.

“A newsroom can be a cut-throat environment because every journalist aspires to make the front page to get the lead story, but for Ingrid it was much more than getting the lead story, it was about making a difference and changing lives, something she did very well and garnered many awards in the process,” Berbick, a former colleague, noted.

Brown was also remembered for her meek persona and her determination to use her pen as a tool to ignite change in people’s lives and, by extension, society.

Berbick related that former Gleaner managing editor Jennifer Campbell described Brown as “someone who was willing to put self aside to do the type of journalism that would change lives”. She also said her concern about the welfare of others extended to her own colleagues.

The tributes never failed to highlight the fact that Brown focused most of her career on writing human interest pieces that resulted in people in dire situations getting help from readers, private sector companies and, in some instances, the State.

“As a trainee on the business desk, she took a different approach to business reporting. While business news was mainly focused on reporting hard news highlighted by figures, Ingrid was focused on highlighting the small man and the struggling entrepreneur who had talent and the potential to earn those figures, but lacked the resources to grow their businesses. She wanted to help them rise,” Berbick recalled.

Brown began working at the Observer in 2006 after she left the Jamaica Information Service. Prior to this, she did a brief stint at The Gleaner and the Star newspapers, having started her journalism career at the now defunctJamaica Herald as a trainee reporter in 1994.

She also served in the media fraternity as secretary of the Press Association of Jamaica. The organisation’s president Dionne Jackson Miller hailed Brown for her meticulous execution of her duties and noted that Brown paid special attention to human interest stories, as she used her journalism to make people’s lives better.

Observer Executive Editor – Publications Vernon Davidson agreed, adding that Brown regarded journalism as more than reporting the news.

“She held firm to the belief that she had a duty to use her profession to help develop Jamaica and, indeed, make the world a better place,” he said in his tribute.

“That unwavering conviction was what propelled Ingrid to visit the home of Marjorie Crooks in Spanish Town in July this year to tell the story of this unemployed single mother who not only cares for her disabled daughter, but is caregiver and provider to four grandchildren, her 84-year-old mother who is suffering from a stroke, a 50-year-old mentally challenged man who has lived with the family since his mother died, a daughter she adopted at three months old, a god-daughter who has always lived with her, as well as her other biological children,” Davidson said.

“That story received 4,300 Facebook shares on the Observer website and generated 152 comments. It also resulted in the newspaper’s readers here and abroad reaching out to Ms Crooks, providing her with help in cash and kind. It was that type of response to her stories that Ingrid cherished most, for, as I pointed out before, she saw her role as helping people,” he added.

Despite ailing, Brown this year completed her law degree at the University of the West Indies with second class honours. Having earned a place at the Norman Manley Law School, Brown attended orientation the week before her death, but fell ill soon after.

“Writing about people’s struggles was not enough, she wanted to do more. She wanted to be a part of the practical solutions and she could do this through the application of the law ensuring access to justice of all,” Berbick noted.

Recognising her as a hard worker, the law, faculty yesterday expressed fond memories of Brown, the student.

“She was well known, admired and respected for her intelligence, maturity, preparedness and invaluable contribution to legal discourse,” Rose Cameron, a lecturer at the law faculty stated.

“We salute Ingrid because she was undoubtedly of the class of the extraordinary,” she added.

Brown is survived by her parents, siblings, her two sons, a granddaughter and other relatives.

“The profession has lost a true champion,” Berbick lamented.

Her body was interred at the Dovecot Memorial Gardens in St Catherine.