Matriarch Turns 100 Years Old

On the 18th of April 2025, Sally Rae Brown, a long-time member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, celebrated her 100th birthday.

She is pictured here with a tally of her family, including 7 children, 26 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren. It was a day filled with love, laughter and a deep sense of gratitude for the legacy she has built.

Sally was born in Methil, Fife, Scotland, in 1925 and grew up with five siblings. Her younger brother, David Rae, who she introduced to the gospel when he was a young man, is now 90 years old and still an active member in the Paisley Stake. Her sister Maria passed away earlier this year, just a few months short of her 102nd birthday.

After marrying her husband Harry Brown, Sally moved to Dundee, where a pair of sister missionaries knocked on their door. They accepted the message of the gospel and joined the Church when it was still part of the British Mission. Sally was baptised on the 16th of March 1952, and she’s been a faithful member ever since.

Over the years, Sally has served in many callings. She has always had a love for music and one of her favourite memories is singing ‘The Heavens Were Opened’ with her fellow Relief Society sisters—affectionately known as ‘the singing housewives’—in St Andrew’s Hall in Glasgow. President David O. McKay, then president of the Church, was there and enjoyed it so much he asked them to sing the song again. It’s a moment Sally still remembers with joy.

Sally has studied the scriptures throughout her life and still knows large sections by heart. She often enriches gospel lessons with her knowledge and testimony. Her family continues to follow in her footsteps—her great-grandson, Cameron Brown, currently serves as her bishop, and her son, Alan Brown, served as mission president of the Scotland Mission.

A true pioneer in her own quiet way, Sally has touched many lives with her steady faith and love for the gospel. Her influence continues to grow through her family, her service and her unshakable testimony.