Collettia Maria Hawkins-Brown

With a nurturing spirit, a strong will, and a voice that loved to sing, Collettia Maria Hawkins-Brown was born to Bernice and James Hawkins on September 6, 1956. Their daughter was the fourth of five tight-knit siblings who knew they were blessed to have loving parents—and grateful to have each other. A lifelong Baltimore girl, she became a caring, deeply devoted mother, treasured friend, fly dresser, woman of faith, and lover of seafood and all things chocolate. As a young Black woman finding her voice, it was the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Lucille Clifton that helped give it wings. She was a longtime member of St. Paul Community Baptist Church where she enjoyed singing in the choir. Like her oldest sister, Cynthia, Collettia Maria also attended Morgan State University where she earned her B.S. in Community Mental Health in 1978. Throughout her career, she pursued counseling, advocacy, and public health opportunities aimed at improving the lives of Baltimore residents, especially those struggling with addiction. As a Johns Hopkins University Scholar, Collettia Maria earned a certificate in Public Health. She was also certified as a Family Focused Substance Abuse Treatment counselor. For more than two decades, she managed and directed addiction treatment and counseling programs for the Baltimore Circuit Court. Active in the community and her field, Collettia Maria served on several boards, including the Johns Hopkins Hospital Community Advisory Board and the Veterans Administration Community Advisory Board’s Committee for Mental Health. The compassion that guided her professional life was not something she turned on and off. It flowed naturally into her relationships with family, friends, church members, and anyone fortunate enough to cross her path. Collettia Maria’s steadfast faith in the Lord was a beacon of light throughout her lifetime. The chronic illnesses that marked long stretches of her life often put that faith to the test. But even in those moments, she managed to emerge with praise, a smile, and strength for another day, another treatment, another hospitalization, another test, another surgery. When she could no longer walk unassisted and relied on a wheelchair, one thing never failed to bring a smile to her face: memories of dancing the night away at Odell's, the legendary Baltimore disco. College Night at Odell’s, she said, was the undisputed place to be. And Collettia Maria knew she belonged. At 69, following a recent illness, the Lord called home a warrior queen on May 24, 2026. For those of us who know and love Collettia Maria—and know the God she served—we believe she is well (maybe hand dancing with abandon and looking fly) and enjoying profound peace in that Home over there. God promised. Collettia Maria’s beloved parents, James and Bernice, greeted her in heaven, as did her big brother, Shermon and big sister, Mardella. The family she cherished and left behind will continue to honor her life and legacy. It includes her son, Joshua D. Brown; husband, Gerald D. Brown; two sisters, Cynthia J. Callum and Bernadette Denise Hawkins; nieces and nephews, Karen D. Callum, Jasmyn M. Hite, Rev. Brandon M. Hite (Chardae), Tristian Callum, Kaylin B. Miller, Amir K. Hite, and Ariel K. Hite. In addition, there is her Aunt Leonora “Bunny” McBride and other extended family members, including cousins and devoted friends. In her novel, Dust, Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, tells us, “The dead are never gone. They sit beside you, silent, waiting for you to speak their names.” So, in the days, months, and years to come, call her name; never forget: Collettia, Maria, Collie, Aunt Rhea, Collettia Maria Hawkins-Brown.

Collettia Maria Hawkins-Brown

September 6, 1956 - May 24, 2026