Jacqueline Melbourne Brown Llewellyn, a stylish woman whose intellect, grace and hospitality made her a fixture among New York’s pioneering Black professional families, died on Oct. 21  at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 96.

Born in New York City on March 17, 1929 to Dr. Lucien Brown and Ida Goldbourne, Jacqueline was the daughter of Jamaican immigrants who came to the United States in 1923 seeking opportunity. Her father’s circle included the Rev. Dr. Adam Clayton Powell Sr., who encouraged the family to visit Martha’s Vineyard in the 1950s, then a rare haven for Black families. The Browns became among the Island’s early Black homeowners, purchasing a cottage in Oak Bluffs for $5,000 — property that remains in the family today.

She and her sisters, Barbara dePasse and Constance Koefoed, known as the “Brown Girls”, were among the passengers on the maiden voyage of the Cunard liner Caronia, a memory they cherished throughout their long lives.

A graduate of Evander Childs High School in the Bronx, Jacqueline was among the first Black graduates of Bennington College, earning her degree in 1951. While studying at the Sorbonne, she wrote her senior thesis in French on the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.

Her career reflected both ambition and versatility: assistant buyer at Bloomingdale’s, member of the United Nations Welcome Committee, executive at Equitable Life Assurance, assistant deputy commissioner at the New York City fire department, and licensed real estate broker.

She married Dr. Edward Butler Williams, who died during their marriage, and later J. Bruce Llewellyn, the businessman who became owner and chief executive of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company. They divorced in 1980.

Known for her poise and impeccable taste, she moved easily in the worlds of culture, business and diplomacy. One of her happiest moments was being walked down the aisle by New York society icon Bobby Short at her youngest daughter Alexandra’s 1999 wedding to acclaimed author Tom Clancy.

She is survived by her two daughters, Lisa Llewellyn Thompson and Alexandra Clancy; a granddaughter, Alexis Clancy; a grandson, Keyveon Thompson; and a niece, record executive Suzanne de Passe, and nephews Christopher Koefoed and Erik Koefoed.

For decades, Jacqueline spent her summers on Martha’s Vineyard, where she welcomed family and friends with the same elegance and warmth that defined her life. There will be no service.

Her ashes will be scattered on Martha’s Vineyard.