Mass-turnout at newspaper editor’s funeral in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. Pastor says, she’s lost a soldier!

An experienced journalist and longstanding editor for New Dawn, (a leading daily), Jonathan K. Brown, is being praised here by his former pastors for contributing immensely toward City Hills Church’s spiritual and physical growth till his recent passing. If for e.g., there’s ever a lesson in Jonathan’s own life for journalists, it will be how he cleverly managed to balance his time between serving his family, job, plus God and humanity-something rarely found today.

By James Kokulo Fasuekoi|Editor-Publisher

Late renowned Liberian newspaper editor, Jonathan K. Brown, spent nearly a decade and half editing, writing news stories and editorials for The New Dawn, a leading paper here. But there was another side of him many people, including his close friends rarely knew; it was his devoted services to the work of God.

A piece of that puzzle, or side of his life, a guy everyone described as being “too quiet” was finally revealed Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, as friends, relatives, journalists, as well as pastors of City Hills Church located in upper Monrovia, where he worshiped for a decade before passing, recounted his devotion to God, family, job, and services to humanity.

His story, especially for someone who served as gatekeeper for a leading paper, may perhaps sound as one of those rarest kinds in today’s world of journalists. But whatever the case, his story is of a busy African editor who tried to manage, or balance his time between his job, his family, God, or Faith, while remaining active in church work and events.

Obviously, it’s this sort of act by God’s late humbled-servant, Jonathan Brown that turned his recent but sudden passing into a difficult experience for anyone to handle. This tragedy wasn’t just tough for the deceased’s wife and their children, but also a pastor and mentor like Mother Famatta Ketter, wife of City Hills Senior Pastor, Rev. Robert D. Ketter Jr.

“Today, I have lost a soldier; I have lost a soul…silent but efficient,” Mot. Famatta Ketter, declared, amid indignation and ceaseless sobbing, as church parishioners surrounded and comforted her. Her eyes swollen-red from grief and weeping over days. She sat bare on the pulpit floor that is still without tiles, attired in crystal white African garments.    

“To be burying your members… It’s not an easy thing for me. Since I lost Deacon Brown, I haven’t been able to pen a few words to him because, I still feel it’s a dream,” Mrs. Ketter went on.

City Hills Church was midway in a week-long revival when Jonathan collapsed and died, as he headed to work, during the afternoon of October 30th. He was actively participating in that revival when death hit!

Deacon Brown was a seasoned journalist and a graduate of the University of Liberia with a BA Degree in Mass communications.

According to his former Managing Editor, Mr. Othello Garblah, Brown joined The New Dawn in 2011, a year after the paper was established. Garblah gave a moving tribute at the funeral of his former senior staff, describing the late Editor in Chief as a royal worker, one he said, he relied on, while away from the country and was irreplaceable.

A devoted servant of God, Brown, 57, hailed from the beautiful Coastal land of Grand Bassa County. He was later moved to Gbarnga, Central Liberia, from where his elder brother later picked him up for schooling in 1975.

In her tribute Saturday, Mot. Ketter said for ten years she and Deacon Brown had worked closely together and during that period, she stated, Brown became her “Silent encourager and advisor,” one who according to her, helped and supervised the new church construction works.

“Before [the] project started, he [Deacon Brown] walked to me and said, Mother Ketter, we can make it! Let’s start with what the church has…and not worry about what’s not available.”  

And when they “got stuck” while building the church, Deacon Brown never stayed away. He would always remind her about resuming the work or project whenever they attended church leadership meetings, she says.

She credited the former editor as being loyal and a real force behind the church building project.  

After her narration she raised her voice and cried out loudly, dropping the Mic into the hands of an Armor bearer who stood by, and telling the crowded church, “I’m tired!” Congregants surrounding the casket burst into crying. Mot. Ketter asked pastors present to offer prayer for CHC.

Mot. Ketter’s husband, CHC’s Senior Pastor, Rev. Robert Ketter Jr. similarly lamented Jonathan’s death and called him a “fatherly figure” at City Hills Church, adding, he was “one person who helped him along the way,” and thanked God for Brown’s life on earth.

Rev. Ketter Jr. praised late Deacon Brown for the maturity with which he handled disagreements among church parishioners, and cited an incident when according to him, a “serious rift” arose in his church and Brown made it a duty, always making visitation and giving “guidance and encouragement.”   

“Today, we are hurt, I’m very sad!” Pastor Robert Ketter Jr. he stated.

As much as the tragedy was difficult for Brown’s own pastors and friends, it definitely became even harder for the deceased’s own widow, Mrs. Brown. She rolled over her husband’s casket, sobbing profusely, and saying she would miss him.

She narrated how the editor had encouraged her to go back to school and went as far as to surprise her, registering her name for the University of Liberia’s entrance exams.

“He tutored me and I passed the LU exam,” she exclaimed, crediting Brown for pushing her to go back to school, for he was someone who loved education.

Soon a scholarship opening came and Jonathan again took off time, working closely with her for three days, especially on her Grammar. That effort again paid off, and she passed the exam, taking tenth place, and got a scholarship to study at UL.

But like every relationship, theirs wasn’t free of errors too; they had their own little ups and downs, along the way but the good news is that both resolved such matter through the church and Jesus Christ, and nothing escalated.

She cited a time that she said, Deacon Brown, despite being a great communicator, never sat down to talk after work. He kept “radio to his ears,” she says, and won’t sit to communicate with her. It’s something she didn’t pretend over but confronted him on.

“When it started, I would jerk the radio from his ear and say, we need to communicate.”

Accordingly, Mrs. Brown later took this matter to their pastors who, rather than confront Brown, suggested they (pastors) prayed together with her about it, and advised that thereafter she should engage him in communication.

“To my surprise,” Mrs. Brown told the audience, “Everything changed” and the two began communicating well.

On the fateful day of the tragedy, she said, Deacon Brown seemed quite excited, as he left home for work, saying to her he had a “nice job” to do at work and afterwards he would be head to their church’s revival for he hadn’t made it the day before (Thursday), due to heavy rainfall.

However, for some strange reason, she said, she almost ran after Brown to stop him from leaving-but had no reason to give-and so she let him go. It had never happened since they’ve married and lived together for many years, she said.

But that moment would be her last memory of her late husband, Jonathan.

The former editor’s funeral was so crowded that a large group of journalists chose to stand on their feet next to the windows, and along walkways, to witness and participate in the funeral rites.

The entire Staff of The New Dawn wore black t-shirts that bore Jonathan’s portrait with the writing: CALL TO GLORY PA BROWN.

A special tribute came from the current leader of Liberia’s National Journalists Union (known as the PUL), Mr. Julius K. Kanubah. He was accompanied by other PUL’s senior officials including the Managing Editor for the daily Liberian Inquirer, Madam C. Winnie Saywah-Jimmy.

Remains of the deceased were interred at the Johnsonville Cemetery outside of the capital, Monrovia.