Mere words cannot describe the person that was Archie Thomas Brown. To have known him was to experience the love of God. I am honored to have grown up with a man who showed me what it meant to be kindhearted, anointed, and giving. His love for my Mimi was evident in how he treated her and in how he grieved her loss until the day he reunited with her again. They set the example of what love should look like to me; as a child, adolescent, and young adult, my eyes never witnessed so much as a clash between them. Throughout my life, my Pappaw showed me love in so many different ways—through his jokes, his advice, his generosity. When I graduated recently, he told me, “Now I’m going to do what I love to do best: give someone money.” This was undeniably true; he always gave with a cheerful heart. He never judged. He was thoughtful about the words he chose. He was a champion for equal rights from the very start. All minorities were welcomed within his congregation. He had faith that could move mountains. He saved lives.

Pappaw, my eyes could never see, my ears could never hear, and my mind could never imagine what God has prepared for you who loved Him.