Mary Kathleen Brown, obituary

Tue, 10/03/2017 - 10:00am

ROCKPORT/CAMDEN — Mary Kathleen Brown, passed on September 28, 2017 at Quarry Hill in Camden, near her residence in Rockport. ME. She lived in New York City for 42 years and loved opera and antiquities. She summered in Rockport before moving there permanently. With curt direction and ample wit she grew gardens round her 19th century house and filled them with stopping places for birds among the flowers.

Mary Kate was a smart, strong woman who earned a Ph.D. from Harvard at a time when many women were pushed towards lives of domesticity. Dr. Brown developed facility in eight languages, four ancient and four modern. She served as the Executive Director of the Archaeological Institute of America. Then took up roles in education, first at Harlem's PS 194 during the crack epidemic of the 1980s then for 18 years at the Dalton School on the Upper East Side. At Dalton, she continued her passion for Biblical History and Classics inventing revolutionary archaeological simulation software for use in the classroom.

She was a cancer survivor, a wife of fifty-one years, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a teacher, a leader, a daughter, and an inspiration to many. She is survived by her husband, Ruben S. Brown, son Ruben E. Brown, sister, Emaline Karam, two grandsons William and Henry, seven nieces and nephews and many of their offspring.

Her wit and counsel will be sorely missed.

Condolences may be shared with the family at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com. Calling hours will be held 4-6pm, Saturday, October 7, 2017, at the Long Funeral Home, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.