Coraline Hightower Brown Obituary (1940 - 2022)

Coraline "Mema" Hightower Brown was born in Trinity, Texas on March 25, 1940, to M.C.& Renee Campbell Hightower, Renee died when Coraline was only one year old. She subsequently was raised by paternal grandmother, Rebecca Hightower. She went to elementary, middle, and high school in Trinity, Texas. At an early age she met Darryl Dean Kizzee and gave birth to her first child, Gerald Kizzee. Later, she met and married John Herman Wingwood, and from that union they had six children, John, James, Stephanie, Rodney, Karen, and Rebecca. After their union ended, she met and married L.C. Brown and they had one son, David. Coraline and L.C. purchased the house at 4605 Glissman Road and raised all eight children together along with grandchildren. Mema's children have one half-brother, Jon "Freddie" Wingwood, a stepsister, Rochelle Jones, and stepbrothers, James Jones, and Donald Jones whom she also considered as her children, and we never considered them anything else. Mema worked her entire 30-year career at the former Travis State School in Austin and retired from there. After which, she became a homemaker and opened her doors to all her children and grandchildren who may have needed a place to stay. She and L.C. took on the primary role of raising the following grandkids for most of their young lives; John ("Stink") Wingwood Jr., Candis Hernandez, DeMarco Wingwood, and Kruchelle "Squeaky" Wingwood. Kruchelle has spent her entire 39 years of life with the late L.C. Brown and MeMa and has only lived on Glissman Rd. Mema attended the Lone Star Baptist Church in Trinity, Texas when she was younger and was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Austin, Texas when she moved here with John. She eventually became a member of the Rehoboth Baptist Church also in Austin, Texas with the late Rev. R.D. Reese as the Pastor, and now with Rev. R.A. Hendricks leading the congregation. Mema was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and one daughter, Stephanie Gail Wingwood-Jennings. She is survived by sisters, Wanda Hightower of Houston, Texas, Gale Hightower of Galveston, Texas. Her brothers, Harold Hightower of Houston, Texas, and Michael Hightower (Ann) of San Antonio. Her children, Gerald Kizzee (Brenda), John "Bubba" Wingwood (Dianne), James "Bo" Wingwood (Beverly), Rodney Wingwood (Patricia), Karen Wingwood-Dixon, Rebecca "Chell" Wingwood (James), and David Brown (Carol). Other children Jon Wingwood (Gwen) of San Antonio, Texas, Rochelle Jones-Jackson (Sam), Donald Jones, and James Jones. Her loving pride and joy granddaughter, Kruchelle (Jason). Over 40 grandchildren and over 100 great children, their spouses, along with a host of relatives, friends and loved ones. She never met a stranger and would feed the entire neighborhood and friends when she could.