Friends Rally to Support Family of Gloucester Twp. Woman

Friends of Colleen Bush-Brown, who died suddenly in her sleep on May 1, are planning a benefit dinner to both celebrate her life and to help support her family.

The fundraiser will be held Friday, Nov. 2, at Whitman Square Fire Hall, in Turnersville.

Bush-Brown, a 1987 Triton Regional High School graduate who lived in Gloucester Township's Clementon section, died in her sleep in what lifelong friend Robin McKelvey described as a "freak accident."

She left behind her husband of eight years, Joseph Brown, seven children and step-children, and three grandchildren.

McKelvey remembered Bush-Brown as the type of person who "gave you the benefit of the doubt and gave you a push in the right direction when you needed it."

She added that Bush-Brown's "loved being a mom" and "so enjoyed friends and family that we often joked that you had three phases in her life. The first time you met her you were a stranger; the next you were a friend; after that you were family."

Bush-Brown was a big Jimmy Buffett, Phillies and Eagles fan, a member of the marching band while in high school, and a "fantastic" cook, according to McKelvey.

Tickets for the benefit, which can be purchased for $30 per person, can be purchased by calling 856-677-8244 or clicking here for organizers' email addresses. Tickets get you dinner, drinks and the promise of lots of fun.

There will also be gift baskets to bid on and a raffle with a grand prize of $400.

The benefit dinner will be held from 7 to 11 p.m.