Madonna J. (Jordan) Brownlee

Madonna Jordan Brownlee died February 9, 2025, six days before her 87th birthday. Madonna was a well-known church organist and recitalist in Miami, St. Petersburg and Atlanta, and retired from her 16-year position as organist at First Church Christ Scientist. 

Madonna was born near Flora, Indiana, near a covered bridge, mill pond and old grist mill. She was a town girl, not a farm girl. Her mother was Isabelle Kuns Jordan, Robert Jordan, her father, and grandparents Bessie and Elmer Kuns, all deceased. Madonna was a member of the First Families of Flora.

Madonna graduated from Flora High School in 1956. She was the organist at her church and gave piano lessons. After the death of Robert Jordan the family moved to St. Petersburg, and she attended St. Petersburg Junior College, where she performed in many musical events. She then attended Florida State University, becoming an elementary school teacher, accompanying singing students and playing the organ in churches. She also attended the University of South Florida, the Union Theological School of Sacred Music, studied at Florida International University, and privately with Charlene Alexander and Diane Bish. She served as a librarian at an inner-city Miami junior high school, having also taught in St. Petersburg third grade classes and at a girls’ boarding school.

She was Assistant Organist at Christ United Methodist and Organist at First United Methodist, both in St. Peterburg, and at many of Florida’s and Atlanta’s biggest churches including Church-By-the -Sea, Bal Harbour, and St. Christophers By-the-Sea (Episcopal) on Key Biscayne. She was the “on-call” organist for public events on Miami Beach or Key Biscayne, accompanying the Miami Oratorio Society and the Williamsburg, Virginia, Choristers. She also played recitals at Bruton Parish Church in historic Williamsburg, a concert in Seefeld, Austria, and in Spain. 

Sacred and Classical music were important in her life, and over the years she played for thousands of weddings. Some of these events she recorded in her book, Leaving Church in a Helicopter, citing both wedding disasters and other unusual events in over 57 years as an organist. 

In 1967 she married Kenneth Brownlee, living in New Jersey and Coral Gables. He was reassigned as Crawford & Co.’s risk and claims manager in Atlanta, 47 years ago. Ken is a writer of fiction, non-fiction and insurance textbooks. Together Madonna and Ken have traveled the world, including all 50 states and Canada, Central and Western Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, New Zealand, China and Australia.

Madonna and Ken joined the Choral Guild of Atlanta, where they performed Wagner’s Rienzi at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Kennedy Center, and other concerts and recordings in the Atlanta area. Madonna also accompanied the Dekalb Choral Guild in performances of Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem. 

Madonna was a member of the St. Petersburg, Miami and Atlanta Chapters of the American Guild of Organists, the Atlanta Music Club, and has been a board member of the Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta. She and Ken are members of the Cathedral of St. Philip. 

Madonna has one sister, Marianna (Mrs. Robert) Bortner, nephews David and Mark Bortner and Mark’s wife Carrie, great nephew Ethan Bortner and great nieces Annaliese Bortner, Victoria Bortner and Ashelyn Bortner.

In lieu of flowers, the estate requests that donations be made to the Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta.

A graveside service will be held Thursday, February 20, 2025, at Maple Lawn Cemetery in Flora. Day & Genda Funeral Home ~ Reinke Chapel is assisting the family with the service. Messages of condolence may be left at www.dayandgenda.com.