Obituary of Barbara D. Brown

Barbara D. Brown 1924-2017 BELFAST- Before there was GPS, before there were Google maps, before there was the Delorme guide, Barbara Brown was driving the byways and backroads of Waldo, Knox and Lincoln County. As a social worker for the State of Maine, she was checking on the safety and welfare of the elderly and disabled. Barbara D. Brown, age 92, died September 4, 2017, at Harbor Hill LTC. Barbara Ruth Dickey was born in Belfast, Maine on December 2, 1924, the daughter of Will H. and Edna (Coombs) Dickey. She graduated from Crosby High School, Belfast, in 1942, and from the University of Maine in Orono, in 1946. For 22 years she was employed as a social worker for the State of Maine Department of Human Services. After her retirement she served as a part-time social worker at Bradbury Manor Nursing Home in Belfast. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, KnoWalLin Auxiliary and a 60-year member of the American Legion Auxiliary. Barbara was a life-long learner, attending many courses at Senior College, visiting museums, historical sites, botanical gardens and parks, and reading the daily newspaper to stay informed about current affairs. She enjoyed traveling with her friends and family across the United States and Canada. Barbara was married for 35 years to Richard Brown, her best friend, who died in 1983. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her brother, Almerin Charles Dickey, formerly of Perry, Florida. She lived her entire life in Waldo County, in Belfast and later at Swan Lake in Swanville during retirement. She was one of the last two surviving grandchildren of Almerin T. Dickey, Civil War veteran, who was wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness while serving with Company I of the 4th Maine Regiment. She is survived by her five children: Peter C. Brown, Belfast, Douglas G. Brown, Freedom, Alison L. Haskins and her husband, James E. Haskins, Oxford, Ohio, Joanne C. Desjardins and her husband Valmore J. Desjardins, Swanville, and Marilyn J. Brown, New Rochelle, New York; six grandchildren, Gregory, Jennifer, Emily, Gabriel, Zachary, and Jacob; and two great grandchildren, Aloma and Martin. Also surviving Barbara is one nephew, several cousins, and her Thursday morning breakfast group. Friends and family may call at Riposta Funeral Home during visiting hours on Thursday, September 7 from 4 to 6 p.m. and at the funeral service on Friday, September 8 at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Grove Cemetery. Donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to the Belfast Public Health Nursing Association, 118 Northport Ave, Belfast, Maine 04915, of which she was a member. “She tried to help other people.”