Throughout her life, Brown continued her advocacy for equal access to education in Kansas. Brown worked as a Head Start teacher and a program associate in the Brown Foundation. She was a public speaker and an education consultant. She divorced her first husband, Charles D. Smith. Her second husband, Leonard Buckner, died. Her third husband was William Thompson, who also preceded her in death. She had two children, Charles and Kimberley, from her first marriage. She is also survived by her grandsons, C. Andrew Smith III, Donnell Smith, and Lawrence Smith.
