Ina Margaret Brown, 73, of McKenzie, Alabama, passed away Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, surrounded by the love of her family. Known as Margaret to some and "Granny" to others, she was born August 9, 1953, in Andalusia, Alabama, to John Lester Brown and Ina Mae Brown.

Margaret made her home at JL Brown farms in McKenzie, Alabama. She devoted twenty years to OCAP/Head Start and twenty years to the Andalusia Walmart, and in both careers, she touched the lives of countless people. Her greatest joy in her work was simple: making everybody's day a little better with her glowing personality. She was a faithful member of Community of Christ Church.

She loved her dogs and cats, and twice a day she could be found on the porch watching the cattle graze. An avid lover of hummingbirds and all birds, she cherished watching each day begin and end from the front porch, witnessing God's creations.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John Lester Brown and Ina Mae Brown; her sister, Bobbie Ruth Brown; her brother, Dr. William "Bill" Lester Brown; and her brother-in-law, Dr. Earl Bentley.

She is survived by her son, Miles K. Brown, and daughter-in-law, Lori Ann Brown; her grandson, William Lester Brown, and granddaughter-in-law, Hope Luree Brown; her granddaughter, Margaret "Maggie" Rose Barto, and grandson-in-law, Sergeant Corey Barto; her great-grandchildren, Annalise Rose Barto and Eleanor Luree Brown; her sister, LeMerle Bentley; her sister-in-law, Elaine Brown; and a host of nephews, nieces, and cousins whom she loved and cherished, along with their families.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, August 23, 2026, at Community of Christ Church in McKenzie, Alabama with visitation beginning at 3:00 p.m. and the service at 4:00 p.m. Dr. Alan Odom and Allen Joyner will officiate. Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Pallbearers are Sergeant Corey Barto, William Lester Brown, Chris Shearer, David Caudill, Ezell Powell, and Tony Norris, along with several honorary pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her name and honor to Alabama Audubon (alaudubon.org/donate), or that you plant a fruit-bearing tree or flowers on your own property in her memory.

In recent weeks, four generations of the family she built gathered together under one roof - a fitting final chapter for a woman whose greatest love was her people.