Barbara M. Brown

Barbara Mackey Brown, 90, of Louisville, Colorado, passed away peacefully at home on the evening of July 28th, 2025. As she wished, she died in her husband’s arms. Her death resulted from complications after a fall. She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Wesley Kunkle Brown; her daughter, Pamela Brown White (Allen); her son, Wesley Douglas Brown (Colette); her four grandchildren; and her three great-granddaughters. She lived a full, rich life infused with adventure, passion, and determination – qualities evident in every stage of her life.

She was born Miriam Barbara Mackey in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on December 18, 1934, to Joseph Wright and Ruth Alberta Mackey (née Logue). An only child, Miriam loved to dance and performed in dozens of recitals through the years. In junior high, she met the love of her life, Wes, at a ninth-grade party, and that was the beginning of their love story. At this time, she changed her name to Barbara. After graduation from Williamsport High School, Barbara worked for four years as a legal secretary while Wes attended Oberlin College. Long distance was no match for their romance. One week after his graduation, they were married at Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport.

At a time when many women were eschewing traditional gender roles, Barbara delighted in being a wife and stay-at-home mom, devoted to her family. She loved to entertain, and she and Wes had a large, loving group of family friends and neighbors. As Wes rose through the ranks during his career, she was his right hand and partner, organizing many company events. For her children, she was always classroom mom, Girl Scout leader, and Boy Scout den mother. She and Wes were omnipresent for all of their children’s activities, performances, sporting events, and important life milestones. Family always came first, but the Episcopal Church was also the cornerstone of family life, whether they were living in Levittown, Horsham, or State College, Pennsylvania. Barbara, a fourth-generation cradle Episcopalian, was a woman of great faith who served on the Altar Guild for many years, hosted coffee hours, participated in Bible Study and small groups, and, for a short time, even sang in the choir.

Over the years, Wes and Barbara’s family grew. She was Nana to Pam’s three children: Jeffrey (Jamie), Laura (Ryan), and Kaitlin (Edward); Doug’s son, Paul (Mandy); and her three precious great-granddaughters, Karleigh, Madi, and Mackenzie.

For fun, Barbara read voraciously and was an avid bridge player. Barbara also loved to shop, especially for shoes. Upon her death, her granddaughter Kaitlin (the same size as her Nana) inherited a large portion of Barbara’s clothes and shoes! For a time, Barbara and Wes bowled in a league, and she occasionally played golf, although she was never the enthusiastic golfer Wes was.

Still, after Wes retired, he and Barbara moved to Hertford, North Carolina, into a beautiful home on the 17th fairway of The Sound Golf Links, overlooking the Albemarle Sound. There, they found a church home at Holy Trinity (Episcopal). During retirement, they traveled, cruising to Scandinavia and Russia, the Caribbean, Canada, Alaska, and the Panama Canal. After 20 happy years in Hertford, they made the decision to move to Louisville to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law.

Barbara and Wes were huge baseball fans, having grown up in the home of Little League baseball. Barbara kept the scorebook for Doug’s Little League games and taught Pam how to score. For most of their lives, they rooted for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the family attended lots of games at Connie Mack and the Vet. When they moved to Colorado, their allegiance changed to the Rockies, even in the embarrassing 2025 season.

After a private family service, Barbara and Wes will eventually be buried together with Barbara’s parents in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in her name to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Hertford, North Carolina, holytrinityhertford@gmail.com.