Carolyn Brown, 77

GILFORD — Carolyn Humphrey Brown of Gilford, 77, died on May 25, 2022, of complications from colon cancer.

She is survived by her husband, Daniel (Dan) Brown, whom she married in 1973. She also leaves behind her close companion, Piper, a Golden Retriever. Carolyn is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Christopher Adams of Berkeley, CA; her niece Caroline Adams; and her grand-nephew, Orestes Brelin of Portland, Oregon.

Carolyn was born March 24, 1945, in Hartford, CT, to Otis M. Humphrey and Eleanor Pratt Humphrey. Her father worked in the textile business in Simsbury, CT, and her mother was an accomplished artist who had several of her works published in Time Life magazine.

Carolyn spent many happy summers in Sorrento, Maine, at the family’s summer home on the coast of Frenchman Bay looking across to Bar Harbor in Down East Maine. During this time she sailed, hiked, bicycled, and attended courses at the Ecole Acadie in Bar Harbor. In the cooler times of the year she could be found skiing at Gunstock in Gilford, snowshoeing in the local area, and walking the dog(s). Additional interests included art and handicrafts.

Carolyn grew up in Simsbury, CT, where she graduated from high school before receiving her college degree from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, in 1966. She studied at the University of Paris, Sorbonne, L’Ecole du Louve in Paris. This was followed by a teaching position from 1969-1972 at the Bement School in Deerfield, MA, where she taught French, English, and art. Additionally, she was a substitute teacher at the Gilford Elementary School from 1985-1992. She also worked as a French teacher with the Northfield Mount Hermon School Summer School Program in Libourne, France, in 1970. Prior to this she worked for the Academic Year Abroad Program in New York City and Paris, France. More recently she worked as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher with the Laconia Adult Education Program from 2003-2009.

Carolyn was the assistant to the executive officer, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, in 1983-1984. She also held administrative positions with the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Holderness School in Plymouth, and the Gunstock Ski/Recreation Area. Foreign employment included work as the executive assistant to the managing director of the Shapland and Petter Company, Ltd., in North Devon, England. She also worked in customer service at Victoriaville Specialties, Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada. In the late 1980s Carolyn served as the financial aid officer at the NH Technical College in Laconia. Also at this time she was the outreach counselor for the Educational Talent Search Program in Plymouth, NH.

During her lifetime Carolyn received immense pleasure from all the opportunities she had to explore new and challenging experiences from around the world. She adapted extremely well to new people and environments wherever she lived and travelled. She accepted people for themselves and never tried to impose her ideas and thoughts on others. In many situations she was able to overcome language barriers and communicate with those with whom she did not share a common language. People seemed to recognize that her innate goodness went beyond words.

During their life together Carolyn and Dan lived and worked in four foreign countries and travelled to more than 65 nations throughout the world. This took them to some of the more remote/inhospitable regions. Some of Carolyn’s travels involved challenging hiking and climbing, exposing her to danger and physical challenges which she always managed very well. She had a unique ability to adjust well to changing conditions, people, and environments. This was reflected by the manner in which she carried out her life over the years.

Carolyn loved to travel and absorb new experiences. Some of her fondest memories included two trips to Everest Base Camp at 18,000 feet in Nepal from both the South Col and the North Face. In Bolivia Carolyn and Dan hiked to the summit of Mt. Chacaltaya at 18,400 feet in the Andes. Other unforgettable times spent in mountain ranges around the world included trips to Patagonia, New Zealand, Peru, China, Tibet, Siberia, Mongolia, Baffin Island, Iceland, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Greenland, and the Far North to about 600 miles from the North Pole. Other trips were made to India, the Amazon, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Carolyn had a passion for dogs and especially Golden Retrievers, and the companionship and resulting bonding with Brandy, Montana, and Piper. This special relationship carried over to two German Shepherds, Belle and Hogan, which she and Dan shared over the years.

She was an extraordinarily caring person, who always saw the good in others. People gravitated to her very positive approach to life. She had many friends with whom she stayed in contact for many years and who, with her family, will miss her terribly.

The celebration of Carolyn’s life will take place in July or August in Sorrento, Maine.

Donations in Carolyn’s memory may be made to the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue, Inc., 110 Chapin Road, Hudson, MA 01749, tel. 978-568-9708, contact Tom Sterlen; or Frenchman Bay Conservancy, PO Box 150, Hancock, ME 04640-0150, tel. 207-422-2328.

Any comments, thoughts, shared memories, memorable experiences with Carolyn over the years are encouraged and should be sent to Dan at danbrownnh@gmail.com or by phone at 603-528-1787 (landline) or 603-290-7015 (cell).