On the day after Eltha Brown would have turned 68, they came to mourn her loss, a woman small in stature but whose contribution to Jamaica and the world was huge, through work that eventually led her to the United Nations (UN) and touched countless lives and communities in far-flung corners of the globe.

“I remember first experiencing the weight of her power when, as a youngster attending school here in Kingston and visiting my siblings in the country while on summer holidays, I was called upon to literally do the donkey work,” elder brother Wemley Brown recalled humorously in the remembrance.

“This involved carrying my little sister, Paulette, on my back wherever she wanted to go, giving her donkey rides like the good donkey I was. Believe me, she was quite a weighty and chubby little girl child,” added Brown, eliciting rich laughter from the family members, colleagues, schoolmates, and friends who filled the Boulevard Baptist Church, Washington Boulevard, in St Andrew where she worshipped while she lived.

Speaking for the UN Women’s Guild (UNWG), the grouping of mostly retired women who worked with the world body, Una McPherson quoted another member of the guild, saying in a tribute: “I will remember Eltha with deep appreciation and fondness…No matter how busy I was, if Eltha called for a favour, I would make the time — because her passion was magnetic and her enthusiasm lit up every room she entered.

“…She had an impeccable eye for detail, and her feedback was always thoughtful. She had a way of making you feel seen and valued, even in the smallest interactions. Eltha’s tenacity was legendary. She never ever gave up. Despite her many health challenges, she persevered and continued to make her contribution to the objectives of the UNWG — enriching the lives of children through education.”

From humble Granville, St James, where she was born on September 19, 1957, the last of six children of Adolphus Agustus and Melita Brown, young Brown showed early signs of things to come when she earned nine subjects, most with distinction, in the General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams at the Montego Bay High School where she was head girl.

“While Eltha’s passing brings sorrow, we do not grieve as those without hope. Instead, we gather to honour and celebrate her life — a life that shone with faithfulness,” said Audrey Flowers Clarke on behalf of the Kingston Chapter of the Montego Bay High School for Girls Past Students Association.

“Eltha was more than a friend — she was a beacon of warmth, kindness, and grace, whose light touched everyone fortunate enough to know her.

“From her earliest days at MBHS through her accomplished career and beyond, she lived a life that exemplified the very best of human nature.

“From first through to fifth form, Eltha was a constant presence of dedication and brilliance. Though she was small in stature, she was mighty in spirit. She studied with determination and achieved remarkable academic success, consistently ranking in the top of her class year after year. Prize-giving ceremonies became showcases for her well-deserved achievements.

“Yet despite her academic excellence, she remained humble and approachable. Even when stress and anxiety would surface during exams — a reminder of her humanity — her results always reflected her true capabilities. Her natural leadership qualities emerged early and flourished throughout her school years,” Flowers Clarke said.

Brown studied agriculture at the St Augustine campus of The University of the West Indies in Trinidad, and on her return to Jamaica worked at the Ministry of Agriculture as an agricultural economist from 1981 to 1983 and as advisor to the late Roger Clarke, said Wemley Brown.

Between 1983 and 1985, she worked at the National Commercial Bank as a graduate management trainee. From 1985 to 1989, she worked at the National Investment Bank of Jamaica as a senior investment analyst/assistant director of investment.

She then joined the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, conducting research while working in collaboration with regional and other international agencies in targeting technical assistance throughout the Commonwealth.

She returned to the Caribbean, this time in Barbados, serving from 1992-1994 with the Caribbean Development Bank as a project officer analyst. Her next stop was Jamaica at the then Workers Savings and Loans Bank where she spent two years as manager of projects and corporate services, then headed to the Planning Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Social Investment Fund.

After two years, she left for the United Nations-affiliated Common Fund for Commodities based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Here she would remain for 16 years in a job that had her travelling to all parts of the world.

By the time she celebrated her 50th birthday, she had already travelled to 50 countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Wemley described his sister as “extremely afrocentric and conscious of her roots”.

Beset by failing health, Brown returned to her home country to settle and live out her life, doing a stint with the United Nations Development Programme on a short-term contractual basis.

“She is this unsung heroine who lived a very basic and simple life. I don’t remember ever seeing my sister wearing make-up of any kind. No fancy clothes, never neglecting her heritage. Extremely bright, intelligent, and talented. Paulette dedicated her entire life to her career and her family.

“She gave back generously and selflessly to her parents, her brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. Each and every one of us as siblings has benefited from her love and generosity. While she lived in Holland, we all had the opportunity to visit Europe in places like France, Germany, Belgium, and other places, all at her expense,” Wemley recounted.

“She is gone to be with her mother, Girlie; father, Dally; brother, Caul; and her beloved look-a-like sister, Pearline.”

Recalling that Eltha Brown had given 11 solid years of service to the UNWG, including as vice-president and assistant treasurer, McPherson said she had lent her expertise to raise funds for the Jamaica School for the Deaf and to girls needing support in several high schools across the island. She became the group’s unofficial photographer.

“We are not certain when or how Eltha became the de facto communications director/co-ordinator of the group, but she took up the mantle and did an exceptional job. She co-ordinated and produced our annual newsletter, programmes, and other communications related to our annual fund-raising brunch and, despite her illness, did this right up to our 2025 brunch,” said McPherson.

Eltha Lamita Brown, who also left sister Vilma Brown to mourn her, died on September 7, 2025. Flying in from Canada to pay their last respects were cousins Ronald Cunningham and wife, Sonia, and Joy Cunningham-Phillips and husband Karl Phillips. The urn bearing her remains was enclosed in the church’s columbarium, following burial rites by pastor, Rev Dr Devon Dick.

Una McPherson paying tribute to Eltha Brown on behalf of the United Nations Women’s Guild at the recent celebration of thanksgiving for her life at the Boulevard Baptist Church, Washington Boulevard, in St Andrew.(Photo: Ron Cunningham)

Wemley Brown, brother of Eltha Brown, giving the remembrance at the thanksgiving service at Boulevard Baptist Church, Washington Boulevard. (Photo: Ron Cunningham)