Barbara J. Brown

BURLINGTON – Barbara Jean Brown, 85, a longtime East Montpelier Resident, passed away peacefully with her son, daughter and son-in-law by her side on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Birchwood Terrace Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Burlington.

Born on March 23, 1938, in Barre, she was the daughter of Michael and Doris (Hamilton) Gavin. She attended Lower Websterville Elementary School and graduated from St. Michael’s High School in Montpelier in 1956.

On May 30, 1959, Barbara married Maurice F. Brown in a ceremony held in St. Sylvester’s Catholic Church in Graniteville. The two made their home for decades in East Montpelier where they raised their two wonderful children. In 2019 they went to live with their daughter and son-in-law in Hyde Park until they moved into an assisted living facility in South Burlington in 2022.

Barbara began her working career at the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, before becoming a homemaker and loving mother to raise her children. She then worked for a short time at Harry’s Department Store in Berlin and eventually became an Executive Secretary for the Vermont State Chamber of Commerce. She held that position for 24 years before retiring in 2000.

She was a member of St. Monica Catholic Church as well as the East Montpelier Historical Society. Some of her many interests included being an avid quilter and sewing, reading, listening to music, gardening, cooking and bowling. Most important to her was spending time with family and friends and helping out anyone that was in need.

Survivors include her husband Maurice F. Brown of Burlington; her daughter Michele Bailey and her husband, Brickett of Hyde Park, VT; her son Maurice P. Brown of Essex Jct., VT; her two grandchildren Harold Bailey III of Edmunds, WA and Frederick Bailey of Hyde Park, VT; her sister Patricia Mills of Manchester, KY and her brother-in-law Robert Brown and his wife, Carolyn of East Montpelier, VT as well as many nieces and nephews.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers Michael Gavin, Neil Gavin, Robert Gavin, and Lawrence Gavin; her sisters-in-law Jacqueline Gavin, Beverly Gavin and Dorothy Gavin as well as her brother-in-law William Mills.

A service to honor and celebrate Barbara’s life will be held on Monday, May 8, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) in the Hooker Whitcomb Funeral Home, 7 Academy Street, Barre. Family and friends may call from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will take place immediately following the service in the Plain-mont Cemetery in East Montpelier.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Vermont Chapter, 75 Talcott Road, Suite 40, Williston, VT 05495 or www.alz.org