Doris Ann Brown

Ms. Doris Ann Brown (Stancato) of Milford Square, Bucks County, passed away on May 12, 2025. Born in Tamaqua, PA, she was the daughter of the late John Orme Brown and Elizabeth Mauger Brown. After graduating with honors from Tamaqua High School, she attended Bloomsburg State Teachers College, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Following graduation, Ms. Brown taught in the Radnor Township School District and later, after moving to Quakertown, she taught for the Quakertown Community School District. Changing careers in the 1970s, Ms. Brown accepted a position with Nationwide Insurance. She went on to work in Training & Development for CIGNA and then in 1985, she accepted a similar position with US Healthcare. She retired in 2002, after the company completed a merger with Aetna. During her time at US Healthcare, Ms. Brown studied for an MS in Behavioral Science from the University of Maryland.

Ms. Brown was a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Quakertown. Before her health began to fail, she served, at various times, as a member of the choir; a Sunday School teacher; and as a member of the Altar Guild. Through the years, she also served on several church ad hoc committees and was elected Junior Warden to the church vestry. At the initial establishment of the EQPP homeless shelter, Ms. Brown represented Emmanuel Church on the first Board of Directors. She also assisted in the church’s sponsorship of four “Lost Boys of Sudan” and worked as their mentor and advisor when the Sudanese teens emigrated to Quakertown. It was during her active years at Emmanuel Church that Ms. Brown completed Education for Ministry, a curriculum in theology administered by Sewanee University of the South.

While her children attended elementary school, Ms. Brown held several leadership roles with the Quakertown- Neidig TPO. As president, she spearheaded the effort to raise funds to have murals from the about- to- be demolished Central School cleaned, restored, and moved to Quakertown Elementary School. A few years later, she served on the Citizen’s Advisory Committee where, as chair, she led the committee in exploring the possibility of changing the Quakertown Schools from an elementary-junior high-senior high configuration to an elementary-middle school- high school configuration. The School Board accepted her committee’s research and proposal, and the middle school approach was used until the recent establishment of a sixth-grade center.

For more than 22 years, Ms. Brown guided house and grounds tours for the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. She had a deep admiration for the author, and an extensive knowledge of the property and the artifacts within.

An avid reader, Ms. Brown was among the first Quakertown area residents to apply for a library card from the Michener Branch of the Bucks County Library, and she participated in the Monday Night Book Discussion Group for more than 20 years. Besides reading, her hobbies included baking, gardening, knitting, swimming, and crafting. She enjoyed travel and experiencing different cultures, and she visited most of the 48 contiguous United States, Canada, Mexico, and several European countries. In 2017, She took a voyage on the Transatlantic Liner RMS Queen Mary 2.

She was regarded as a woman of quick wit and keen intelligence, and her friends often sought her advice and expressed admiration for her unflagging courage in the face of adversity.

Ms. Brown is survived by her two sons, Tristan Stancato (wife, Robin) of Ambler, PA and Philip Stancato (wife, Kim) of Quakertown, PA; her two daughters, Charlotte Smetzer (husband, Lee Brensinger) of Pennsburg, PA and Tracey Virnelson (husband, Fred) of Quakertown; her six grandchildren, Brendan, Austin, Jacob and Dillon Stancato and Nicholas and David Virnelson; and five great-grandchildren, Jayden, Emma, Paisley, Landon and Kayce Virnelson. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved brother and greatest hero, Lt. Col. John Lawrence Brown, and her adored grandson, Ian Stancato.

A private Memorial Service will be held by the family.

All arrangements are made by Naugle Funeral & Cremation Service, Ltd. 135 W. Pumping Station Road, Quakertown, PA 18951. (215-536-3343)