Brooksie Nell Pitney

On Wednesday, December 2nd, after nearly a century of life, Sis. Brooksie Nell Pitney, 91, left this world behind. Though she met with many of the trials and tribulations that come with old age, her life was full of people who loved her, and she spent her final days surrounded by family and friends. Those of us who have been left behind to mourn can all rejoice in knowing that she has finally gone on to a land where she’ll never grow old. Brooksie was born March 18, 1924 in Atwood, Tennessee to Jesse Daniel and Lela Mae Harrison. During the 1930s and in the middle of the Great Depression, she moved with her parents and her six siblings to Chicago, Illinois. The family attended the Chicago Primitive Baptist Church while Brooksie was growing up, and she was baptized in the fall of 1942 at the local YMCA. The day she was baptized, a sailor who had been stationed in Chicago happened to be visiting the church, and when he attended the baptism service, he was captivated by her. Bro. Nolan Neil Pitney quickly broke off a previous engagement so that he could be with the woman he had fallen for so completely, and on January 16, 1943, they were united in marriage. Nolan served four years in the U.S. Navy, and during that time he and Brooksie would move to wherever he was stationed. Over the course of his service, they lived in Chicago, New York City, and San Diego. While Nolan was overseas, Brooksie helped with the war effort, at first working in a factory to make candies for the soldiers, but later switching to the production of ammunition. She worked up until the birth of their first child in 1945. After her husband had fulfilled his duties and returned to the United States, Brooksie and Nolan settled down in Holland, Ohio, near where Nolan had grown up. They built their first home there together, and Brooksie dedicated herself to being a wife and mother. Brooksie and Nolan had seven children, and throughout the years, they worked together to provide a loving home for their family. They remained active in the Primitive Baptist church, and while Nolan served as a minister to the various congregations in the area, Brooksie was sure to instill the value of Christian love in their children. Once Nolan had retired from his career as a foreman for Toledo Edison, he and Brooksie moved to a farmhouse near Kalida, Ohio. They lived only a few miles away from Thompson Primitive Baptist Church, which they had adopted as their own, and which they both remained members of until their deaths. Their new home was big enough to hold not only their now-adult children when they came to visit, but their growing number of grandchildren as well. Brooksie was blessed to be the grandmother to eighteen rambunctious grandkids all together. Brooksie served as a gracious host, loving mother, and doting grandmother on many occasions. She was quick to reprimand the rowdiest of her family for rough-housing, but could never stay mad long, and anyone forbidden from having candy was soon allowed to grab a handful from the MM-themed containers in the kitchen. Brooksie managed her large family with ease, and she would always make sure that friends or church members who didn’t have anywhere to go to for the holidays joined the festivities. We all know who stands behind every great man, and for nearly fifty-five years, Brooksie was all the support her husband could ever need. When Nolan passed away just a few days shy of their 55th anniversary, she not only had to contend with her own grief, but with comforting her children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren as well. As always, she put aside all thoughts of herself, and she provided strength for her family in a time when her sorrow should have been the greatest. That compassion was ultimately the hallmark of Brooksie’s life. For the next seventeen years, she devoted herself even more to taking care of her family. Even as she was coming to the end of her life, she did everything in her power to comfort and reassure all of us that we would be okay when she passed on. Brooksie spent her final days surrounded by the family she had raised, quietly worshipping God and providing words of love and encouragement to remind us that death is not the end. And while we may feel sorrow now, everyone who has ever known Brooksie knows that she’ll be waiting to welcome us home when it’s our turn to gather at the river. Sister Brooksie Nell Pitney (née Harrison) was preceded in death by her parents, five of her siblings, and her husband, Nolan Neil Pitney, Sr. She is survived by her sister Joyce Pitney and her seven children, Lloyd (Judy) Pitney, Judy (Jim) Snyder, Michael (Shirley) Pitney, Anna Pitney, Linda (Russ) Kinner, Nolan (Merlyn) Pitney, Jr., and Mark (Jane-ella) Pitney. She is also survived by 18 grandchildren (11 of whom have spouses of their own) and 29 great-grandchildren, plus countless nieces, nephews, and other extended family members. The only thing any of her numerous descendants fought over was who got her recipes. The Pitney family invites you to join them in celebrating Brooksie’s life. Visitation will be held on Friday from 2-9 PM at Walker Funeral Home 5155 Sylvania Ave. (west of Corey Rd) where services will be held on Saturday at 1:00 PM. Flowers are welcome, or the family suggests giving a charitable gift in Brooksie’s name to Thompson Primitive Baptist Church or to your local hospice provider.