Barbara Maxine Burpee Hathaway Brown, 93 years of age, born, October 16, 1926, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, February 21, 2020. She had suffered with dementia for several years. She was predeceased by her husband William C Brown, her parents Alice (Robinson) and Bernard Hathaway, her sister Eva Mae, her brother Bernard “Sonny” Hathaway and her grandson Samuel Forrest LaValley.
Barbara grew up in Maine where her family had lived for generations and graduated from Leavitt Institute in Turner, Maine. She completed the nursing program at North Shore Baby Hospital in North Salem, Massachusetts and was employed as a private nurse for families throughout New England, often traveling with them across the United States. On June 4, 1955 she married William Carrington Brown at Corpus Christi Church in Wethersfield, CT.
Barbara devoted herself to lovingly raising her family and is survived by her five children: William Brown (Karen), Mary LaValley, James (Cathy) Brown, Judith (Peter Hartman) Brown and Robert (Lonny Rogers) Brown. She is also survived by ten grandchildren: Kelly (John) Clark, John (Matthew) Brown, Albert (Anna) LaValley, Claire and Madeline LaValley, Erica and Kevin Brown, Asa, Helene and Andrew Hartman and one great granddaughter, Clara AnneMarie Clark, as well as her sister in law Lois Hathaway and three nieces. She will be missed by all, including her faithful golden retriever, Sadie.
Barbara lived surrounded by love and pursued her interests in reading and traveling to visit with her family. She was an avid gardener and passed her horticultural interests on to her children. She enjoyed returning to Maine each summer. She lived a long life well.
Friends and relatives may pay their respects to the family Friday, February 28, 2020 from 5-7 pm at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 34 Beaver Rd., Wethersfield. A Mass of Christian Burial in remembrance of Barbara will be celebrated Saturday, February 29th at 10 am in Corpus Christi Church of Christ the King Parish, 601 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield. Attendees are requested to go directly to the church. Interment will follow the Mass in Village Cemetery, Pratt Section, Marsh St., Wethersfield. The family requests in lieu of flowers, that memorial donations be made to The Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607. To extend online condolences and/or share a memory, please visit farleysullivan.com.