Ann Lee Saunders Brown, 101, died peacefully at her family’s Tuckahoe Point Farm in Richmond, Va. on February 22, 2020. She was the daughter of Edmund Archer and Jane Quinn Saunders; and the sister of Jane Q. Saunders. Her son, Charles A. Brown, lives in Hawaii. Her grandson, Alexander Brown, lives on the family farm with his wife, Natalie and their children, Ainsley, Harrison, and Savannah.
Born in Richmond and raised on the farm, Ann Lee graduated from Collegiate School, where she received the Rosemary Award – then and now, the highest award for academics, athletics, citizenship, and leadership. Collegiate named their upper school library, Saunders Family Library, for her.
In 1959, Ann Lee married Charles L. Brown at the family farm, and together they moved 19 times as his career elevated him to Chairman and CEO of AT&T. Ann Lee was a strong and caring support to Charlie and all those affected by the breakup of the Bell System. They returned to Virginia to live, but Ann Lee maintained her home in Princeton, New Jersey, and her support of The Institute for Advanced Study.
In Virginia, she enjoyed many years of involvement with Colonial Williamsburg, celebrated her father at Virginia Military Institute, and proudly supported the Charles L. Brown Science and Engineering Library and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia. No doubt, these institutions and others including the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and The Tuckahoe Garden Club greatly enriched Ann Lee’s life.
Let the remembrance of her smile express her deep gratitude to all family, to all faithful supporters on the farm, to many exceptionally loyal friends, all colleagues of the many institutions she enjoyed, every caretaker, and certainly her beloved dog, Nikki Beau!
A celebration of Ann Lee’s life will be held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Richmond on Saturday, February 29, at 2 p.m. Friends will be received at St. Mary’s Parish Hall following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Goochland Cares, Sheltering Arms or any of the above-mentioned institutions.