Brown, Josephine
BROWN (VAN ETTINGER), Josephine
Josephine Van Ettinger Brown, age 90, of Decatur, GA, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. She was preceded in death by parents, Jan and Johanna "Zus"; and brothers, Jan and Frank Van Ettinger, all of the Netherlands. Josephine came to the USA in 1954 to study at UGA on a Rotary Club of Atlanta scholarship. After a year at UGA she transferred to Emory to complete her education, ultimately receiving a PhD in Psychology there in 1969. She became a professor of Psychology at GSU in 1970, specializing in Early Childhood Development. She became a US citizen in the 1960s and raised her three sons in the Emory area.
Josephine's lifelong interest in mother-infant interaction included work at the Yerkes Primate Center involving primate infants and later the Language Project (Lana Project). At GSU, her research with newborns at Grady Hospital was funded by NIH. In both her research and clinical work, she delighted in showing nurses and mothers how capable even babies born prematurely were and how to be responsive to their cues, fostering better interaction and health outcomes.
Josephine spent much of the 1980s teaching and living in Bielefeld, Germany. Upon her return to Atlanta, she started the Parent Infant Resource Center at GSU which provided training for new mothers, often from less advantaged circumstances. In addition, she created the Wee Weezers at Home program, an asthma education program for parents of young children.
She retired from GSU in 2002 and began her final "career" as a docent at the Carlos Museum at Emory University and worked with the Pitts Library translating the poems of the Dutch engraver Jan Luyken. Josephine was a beloved volunteer and formed many lasting friendships among the Carlos Museum docents.
Josephine is survived by her sister, Elisabeth Van Ettinger, from the Netherlands, who was with the family at the end of her life; and sons, Walter and David, both of Atlanta, and Geoffrey of Bloomington, Indiana, and Walter's spouse, Margaret Thompson. In addition, she is survived by her grandchildren, Martin, Lena, Naomi, Susan; her devoted nephews and their families in the Netherlands; and her extended family including stepson, Anthony Ettlinger; step-grandchildren, Keely and Lydia Curless; and significant others, Susan Hart (David) and Karen Oliver (Geoffrey). There will be a celebration of life to be announced.
Donations in her honor can be made to the Carlos Museum of Emory University.
