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Elder Ruth Elizabeth Brown, affectionately known to many as Poppy, was born to the union of the late Bishop William H. Davis and the late Irene V. Davis on November 17, 1933, in Baltimore, Maryland. She departed this life on May 27, 2021. She was preceded in death by her husband, Enoch Brown, five brothers: Wilbur, Clarence, Samuel, Thomas, and Benjamin Davis, & three sisters: Mildred Walker, Rosetta Williams, and Helen Sessoms. Her Life Ruth was reared in the church. At the age of 28 she received the baptism of the Holy Ghost at The House of God, which is the Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of the Truth, Keith Dominion, where she was an active member for many years, doing all that she could for God, while she could. Ruth began preaching shortly afterwards and years later became an Elder. She worked diligently, locally, statewide and nationally on many auxiliaries, however, her passion was Missionary and Courtesy work. In fact, she started the SHARE program at her church to provide Easter and Thanksgiving baskets for church members, as well as people in the neighborhood. Ruth loved the Lord and gave generously & selflessly to her church, including donating the proceeds from a vending machine she had placed in the church dining hall as well as raising money from selling candy and dinners to her clients. As a young child, Ruth had an extraordinary entrepreneurial inclination, inspired by her hard working, self-employed dad. When she was 12 years old, she started a paper route. As other children witnessed how organized she was with bookkeeping records, they asked her to calculate their records as well. Ruth graduated from Douglass High and later from Loyola College where she majored in Accounting. Following college, Ruth secured employment with Sydney and Sammy Katz, businessmen who owned a convenience store and tax preparation business. There, she used her accounting skills and learned how to prepare taxes. Ruth knew that God had given her a talent in working with numbers. In 1953, armed with her newfound knowledge, she canvassed East Baltimore, knocking on doors, letting people know of her plans to open an income tax business. Her famous slogan that attracted many new clients was "If your taxes were not becoming to you, then you should be coming to me”. The word spread and her business began to grow. She then got a job working at the Maryland State Building. There, she gained many new friends and clients. Ruth was known by her clients as the “Tax Lady.” She opened other businesses, such as a cut-rate store on Springhill and Towanda in the Park Heights area of West Baltimore as well as purchased real estate which she often rented to family members in need. One of her most joyful enterprises however, happened in 1994, when she and her sister & best friend, Loretta Fowler, opened the doors to their boutique Retta’s Payless to Dress. Ruth & ‘Retta’ - sisters in blood as well as in Christ- were inseparable; when you saw one, you saw both. They often travelled together, even as far as Hawaii, as well as regularly attending church & family functions together. Her Legacy In 1957, Ruth married the love of her life, Enoch (Knoxie) Brown. They were partners in every sense of the word. In that same entrepreneurial spirit, Knoxie and Ruth opened a daycare service. The laughter of children filled their home, and their love covered every child who entered. The day care and tax business, together, became B&B Public Service. Love and kindness drew many to their loving arms. They had so much love to share that they embraced nine Godchildren. But it didn’t stop there; many, many nieces and nephews frequented their home to bask in the genuine attention, affection & warmth to be found in Aunt Poppy & Uncle Knoxies’ presence. The couple loved and cherished all children like they were their own. In the same giving spirit, Ruth unselfishly taught any family member who wanted to learn how to prepare income taxes. Her sister Rosetta Williams worked along-side her for many years. She then taught her nieces, Brenda Wheatley, Rochelle Robinson & Tonja Evans. She hired many family members to work as temporary assistants, until hiring Eugene Clayton, a family friend, who assisted her until her illness. All who worked with her can confirm that she was a bit of a hard task master, but she undergirded them with love. For Ruth, B&B Public Service was more than a business; it was a ministry. She counselled and ministered to her clients by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. She would pray for them and encouraged them to attend and tithe to the church. Ruth’s wisdom, counsel, and advice-both naturally and spiritually- were a blessing to many. In addition to her faithful service within the church, Ruth was also an icon in her local community. For over 55 years she made invaluable contributions to the Northwood area of Northeast Baltimore, becoming known as the “Tax Lady” who never retires. And she never did. Her Love While The Lord fed & sustained her spirit, it was often Yat Gaw Mein, her favorite Chinese food, and a cold Pepsi, that fed her body! And she was quite choosy where it came from, the Basement on York Rd being one of her favorite take out spots. If she could not buy it, she would make her own or have it made at Patrice T’s kitchen. Other culinary favorites included pasta, chicken feet stew and oxtails. Ruth was an excellent cook in her own right; her signature dish being Baked Macaroni and Cheese which the families of her niece & nephew, Joyce Gray & Robert Barnes, enjoyed for the many decades they spent at Aunt Poppy’s bountiful Thanksgiving feasts. Elder Ruth ‘Poppy’ Brown was so much more than just the Tax Lady, or the savvy businesswoman, or the appreciator of a good meal. She was our Matriarch and our Queen. She was our Teacher, Consoler, & our Saint. As death approached her faith never wavered; She continued to praise God & call on the name of Jesus even as she struggled to breathe. She left this life as she lived it: a woman of faith, strength & grace. Ruth leaves to cherish her memory her beloved sister, friend & confidante, Elder Loretta Fowler, two brothers, Elder William Henry Davis Sr. (Barbara), General Elder Bernard Davis (Lauretta), & sister-in-law, Edna Brown-Smith(David) of Harlem, NY. Her love, wisdom & spiritual guidance will be forever missed and cherished by Barry Davis-her God son, devoted companion & ‘do or die’ caregiver- as well as Godchildren Michele Randolph, Tanya Maxwell, Janice Gray, Wanda (Niecey) Barksdale, Ramsey (Rock) Randolph, Quante Davis, Tenille Thomas, and Boogie; one tepdaughter Kismith Travers; her church family at Essex House of God, childhood friends Estelle Smith & Ella Myers, as well as good friend Lavinia Lane in addition to a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other family and friends.

Tributes

Elder Ruth Elizabeth Brown

November 17, 1933 - May 27, 2021