Carol Osmond Brown Celebration of Life
Date change – March 7
Carol Brown’s son, Bryan, has booked the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix on March 7, 2021 at 1 pm for Carol’s celebration of life ceremony. Bryan is in the process of putting it all together now. The space that is booked is a large outdoor space but with a 50-person limit due to Covid. (10 of those will be reserved for family.) The celebration will be live-streamed, which will allow more APW friends to participate.
Bryan is hoping to have some stories or testimonials from some of his mom’s friends. These can be prerecorded in advance. He will edit it together for the event.
Please send memories, stories, testimonials to Bryan Lee Brown bryanleebrown@gmail.com Photos are welcome. Also, let Bryan know if you’d like to attend, live or streaming so he can send the link.
Please pass this on to other friends who might not see this. Thanks for your help!
Carol Gail Osman Brown 1941-2020
Carol Gail Osman Brown 78, of Payson, AZ, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 6, 2020, in Los Angeles, CA with her sons by her side. Carol was preceded in death by her husband James Carrington Brown III (Bing) on Friday, May 31, 2019, in Phoenix, AZ. Carol and Bing are survived by their two sons, James Carrington Brown IV (Jim) and Bryan Lee Brown, wife Ronda Doyle and grandson, Asa of Los Angeles, CA and extended family. Carol was preceded in death by her parents Sidney A. and Natalie Constance (Charipper) Osman.
Carol was born in Schenectady, New York on September 28, 1941, to Sid and Natalie Osman. Carol and her parents lived in New York City as a child but due to her severe asthma, moved to AZ and settled in Phoenix, Arizona around 1949.
Carol attended Kenilworth Elementary School and West High School in Phoenix and graduated from Arizona State University.
Carol and Bing met while they were summer camp counselors in Prescott, AZ and were later married on November 3, 1961, in Phoenix, AZ. Both Carol and Bing were longtime residents of Phoenix and then Payson AZ where they both were intricately involved in the journalism community.
An award-winning journalist, Carol was a strong advocate of children’s literacy programs. Her long-term leadership involvement with Arizona Press Women (now Arizona Professional Writers) allowed her to spearhead the very successful annual Payson Book Festival featuring Arizona authors from throughout the state and is held in July in Payson, AZ. Proceeds support a variety of children’s literacy programs.
During her career, Carol drew public attention to other causes including historic preservation, education, health, Native American and women’s issues. She wrote for The Phoenix Gazette and Arizona Republic newspapers and taught journalism classes at her alma mater Arizona State University and Rio Salado College.
Her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous publications including Arizona Highways, Native Peoples, and Sunset magazines as well as publications of the United States Information Agency. She also worked for Associated Press and United Press International wire services.
She received a variety of awards throughout her 50-year career from organizations including the National Federation of Press Women, The Arizona Newspapers Association, the Public Relations Society of America, and Women in Communications.
Carol and her husband, Bing were a powerhouse couple in their community. They formed Carrington Communications LLC and worked as a team on writing projects that took them long distances throughout the United States, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Africa, Australia, Europe and Canada. They were active on the Beaver Valley Water District board and the Arizona Association of Professional Writers.
Carol was born with severe Asthma and fought her lung disease her entire life. A lifelong commitment to researching her own medical condition, including using holistic medicine as a key component, enabled her to live a full, vibrant, and very productive life.
Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19), a Celebrations of Life will be held in Beaver Valley, AZ (Payson) and in Phoenix, AZ at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Payson Book Festival, Inc. or the charity of your choice.
See the home page of the Payson Book Festival website for details if you would like to donate to their children’s programs and literacy projects.
Photos from “An Illustrator’s Perspective”
Michael Hale was the speaker for “An Illustrator’s Perspective,” Rim Country District’s November 15, 2017 presentation held at Majestic Rim Retirement Community in Payson. As an author and illustrator of children’s books, Michael Hale provided an insider’s view of what it takes to create a book from concept to final production to an interested audience.
- Michael Hale with a fascinated audience. Photo by Bing Brown.
- Demonstrating the illustration process. Photo by Bing Brown.
- Michael Hale showing “Bad Monkey Business,” which he wrote and illustrated. Photo by Carol Osman Brown.
- Michael Hale showing examples of illustrations. Photo by Bing Brown.
- Speaker Michael Hale with Carol Osman Brown. Photo by Bing Brown.