One of the six people killed in a shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this weekend was 74-year-old Dorothy “Judy” Brown, a former resident of Nashville, Indiana, and director of the Brown County Chamber of Commerce.
Brown was described by her local friends as a caring community member who served as an ambassador for Nashville tourism, helped women enter the work force in the 1980s, and provided in-home assistance for the elderly.
Barb Brooke Davis, a Brown County resident and Brown’s longtime friend, said Brown was a fun-loving, “classy lady.”
“She was very devoted,” Davis said. “Whatever she did, she jumped in with both feet.”
Brown was killed Saturday evening in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was in the back seat of a Chevrolet Cruze when a man approached the car and shot her, along with the three other people in the vehicle.
The man also shot the driver of an Oldsmobile in the parking lot. Four of the people shot were killed, and a 14-year-old girl was put into critical condition.
Police have charged Jason Dalton, 45, in connection with the shooting, which was the last of three separate shootings that left six people dead. All three were connected to Dalton, according to Michigan State Police.
For the last 15 years or so, Brown lived in Battle Creek, Michigan, where her brother and other relatives lived, Davis said. Before, she spent about 25 years in Nashville.
She moved to Nashville with her then-husband, whom she later divorced and who has since died, said Stefanie Gore, Brown’s friend and Nashville resident. Brown also had two adult sons, both of whom were living on their own when Brown moved to Nashville, Davis said.
As director of the Brown County Chamber of Commerce, Brown spoke with tourists and other visitors of Nashville, answering their questions and providing information about the city, Stephen said.
Prior to this role, Brown helped run the South Central Community Action Program, which provided low-income housing and other financial assistance to struggling local residents, Stefanie said.
One of the programs she helped coordinate was a federal initiative that subsidized wages to incentivize companies to hire women who were new to the work force.
“She was very caring, sweet,” Stefanie said. “She wasn’t judgmental.”
Later on in her years in Brown County, Brown began offering in-home aid for local elderly residents. She continued doing similar work after moving to Battle Creek, where she helped elderly individuals with their finances and medications, Davis said.
She did all this despite her own medical challenges, Davis said. Brown battled emphysema, a lung disease.
Brown also attended the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Davis said.
Davis said she was Brown’s close personal friend during her time in Nashville. They participated in a Tea Society of seven women, three of which have now died, Davis said.
The two friends remained in close contact even after Brown moved to Michigan. Davis visited Brown and the two made a point to call each other on birthdays and holidays. The last time Davis spoke to Brown was this past Christmas, she said.
“When I first heard there were shootings in Kalamazoo, my first thought was, ‘Judy lives in Battle Creek, where is that?’”
Davis said she only knew of two people who lived in Michigan. She would later find out through other local Nashville residents watching the news that Brown was among the shooting victims.
Davis said she plans to organize a local memorial for Brown’s friends to commemorate her.
The Gores said Brown’s death was a shock to the local people who knew her.
“It was just awful,” Stefanie Gore said. “She really made a big impact on this town.”
