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IN LOVING MEMORY OF Vera Edwina Scott Townsend Brown
Vera Edwina
Scott Townsend Brown
Apr 17, 1919 — Dec 5, 2014
Vera Edwina Scott Townsend Brown's Obituary
Vera Edwina Scott Townsend Brown, b. Hyde Park, Mass., April 7, 1919; d. Dec. 5, 2014, Bedford, Mass. of complications from pneumonia.
Left to cherish her memory are her beloved brother, Walter H. Scott, of Booth Bay Harbor, Maine; her four children, Carleton Townsend (Kathy) of Florence, Mass.; Cynthia Rush (Peter) of Leesburg, VA., R. Douglas Townsend (Kate) of Bedford, Mass., and Amy Vazifdar (A.J.) of Manchester, N.H; grandchildren Laura and Elizabeth Townsend; Jessica, Peter and Dianna Townsend, and Roman and Nadia Rush; great-grandchildren Wyatt and Willow Maheu, Lily and Liam Townsend, Kylee Russell, and many nieces and nephews. Vera was preceded in death by her first husband, Raymond E. Townsend (1918-1983), and her second husband, Robert H. Brown (1917-1999).
A memorial service celebrating Vera's life will be held Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 75 Great Road in Bedford, Mass.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Vera's name to
The Perkins Library, 175 No. Beacon Street, Watertown, Mass. 02472.
Vera was an intelligent, loving and perceptive person, beneath whose calm and quiet demeanor was a lively intellect, an adventurous spirit and sometimes irreverent sense of humor. She was an avid reader, a follower of world affairs, a rarely-beaten Scrabble player, and devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who basked in the accomplishments of her children and grandchildren and delighted in the visits of her small great-grandchildren, even though the blindness which afflicted her at the end of her life robbed her of the ability to see them.
Born in 1919, Vera grew up in the ethnically and culturally-diverse Boston neighborhood of Hyde Park, a fact she often said greatly enriched her life, as many of the neighborhood children were first and second generation Americans of immigrant parents or grandparents who had come to Boston from the nations of Western and Eastern Europe, as well as Asia. Hyde Park was truly a melting pot. The Scots-Irish ancestry of her father Herbert W. Scott combined with that of her mother, Sadie (Sarah) Hunter Scott, who as a young woman, left her home in Nova Scotia and boldly embarked on the journey to Boston to start a new life. She and Herb were married in May of 1913, raised three children—Bob, Vera and Walter--and enjoyed a modest but comfortable life in their home at 21 Dell Ave. in Hyde Park. Throughout her life, Vera remained a devoted and loyal friend to all of her childhood friends from Hyde Park.
In 1935, the Scott family's lives were tragically altered when Sadie died of breast cancer, after which 16-year-old Vera, although devastated by the loss of her mother, stepped in to help run things at home, while keeping a protective watch over her then-12-year-old younger brother Walter, her close bond with whom continued up to the day of her death.
Music was a vital part of Vera's life growing up, centered in the musical activities at Hyde Park's Christ Episcopal Church. As the piano player in her family, Vera was often called upon to accompany her father and other neighborhood friends in sing-alongs; but both in her youth and adult years, she also sang as an alto in many church and independent choirs, developing an appreciation for classical music and opera as well, while also relishing family favorites from The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz among others. Her children learned many a song in the back seat of the car, on family trips, as Vera and her first husband, Ray Townsend, loved to sing and were wonderful at harmonizing. Her children and grandchildren carried on that musical tradition, mastering the piano and guitar, singing in choruses and participating in other musical activities, which Vera
loved to listen to and watch.
Vera married Ray on February 14, 1942, a little over two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. When Ray tried to enlist in the Air Force, he was told that his job at the Watertown Arsenal would be a vital contribution to the war effort, so with Vera's support, Ray played his role on the home front, helping to keep U.S. and Allied troops supplied with ammunition and related machinery. Carleton was born in 1944, followed by Cynthia in 1946, and then Doug in 1950. Then in 1967, Ray and Vera welcomed their fourth child, Amy, whose arrival brought immense joy and excitement to the family, and to Ray and Vera who, despite being well into their forties, were thrilled to be parents once again. After Ray's untimely death in 1983, Vera lovingly took up the task of being both mother and father to then-16-year-old Amy.
Vera never shied away from challenges that others might have found daunting. In December of 1957, she and Ray picked up their family and moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Ray began his new assignment with the Gillette Co. She ably managed the tasks of starting a new life in a very different culture, with all its attendant difficulties and frustrations, learning Spanish, and helping her children adjust to their new lives. Well into her seventies, she made sure she acquired a computer and mastered the Internet in order to follow domestic and international news as well as stay in touch with longtime friends and family members. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she traveled abroad, and at the age of 74-75, she more than once drove up the East coast from her home in Beverly Hills, Florida to Bedford, Mass. by herself.
A final chapter in Vera's life was her marriage to Bob Brown, who had grown up in the same Hyde Park neighborhood as Vera. An orthopedist and Navy veteran, Bob had had a brilliant career at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and in private practice in Hampden, Maine. As a widower, with some help from Walter Scott, he sought out, courted and married Vera in 1995 in Hampden, where they lived for four very happy years until Bob's death from cancer in 1999. A widow for the second time, Vera then took up residence at Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, Mass, not far from her children and grandchildren, and continued to enjoy family gatherings and visits from family members and friends well into her nineties, in addition to making new friends among the residents of the Village. With her gentle personality and sharp intellect, she endeared herself to many. The August, 2013 transition to Carleton-Willard's specialized nursing facility was a difficult one for her; yet she still summoned her characteristic warmth, grace and good humor in everything she did. While her passing has caused great sadness among her family and small number of surviving friends, they rejoice in the knowledge that having had Vera in their lives was a very special privilege. Her absence will be keenly felt.
Left to cherish her memory are her beloved brother, Walter H. Scott, of Booth Bay Harbor, Maine; her four children, Carleton Townsend (Kathy) of Florence, Mass.; Cynthia Rush (Peter) of Leesburg, VA., R. Douglas Townsend (Kate) of Bedford, Mass., and Amy Vazifdar (A.J.) of Manchester, N.H; grandchildren Laura and Elizabeth Townsend; Jessica, Peter and Dianna Townsend, and Roman and Nadia Rush; great-grandchildren Wyatt and Willow Maheu, Lily and Liam Townsend, Kylee Russell, and many nieces and nephews. Vera was preceded in death by her first husband, Raymond E. Townsend (1918-1983), and her second husband, Robert H. Brown (1917-1999).
A memorial service celebrating Vera's life will be held Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 2:00 p.m., at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 75 Great Road in Bedford, Mass.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Vera's name to
The Perkins Library, 175 No. Beacon Street, Watertown, Mass. 02472.
Vera was an intelligent, loving and perceptive person, beneath whose calm and quiet demeanor was a lively intellect, an adventurous spirit and sometimes irreverent sense of humor. She was an avid reader, a follower of world affairs, a rarely-beaten Scrabble player, and devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who basked in the accomplishments of her children and grandchildren and delighted in the visits of her small great-grandchildren, even though the blindness which afflicted her at the end of her life robbed her of the ability to see them.
Born in 1919, Vera grew up in the ethnically and culturally-diverse Boston neighborhood of Hyde Park, a fact she often said greatly enriched her life, as many of the neighborhood children were first and second generation Americans of immigrant parents or grandparents who had come to Boston from the nations of Western and Eastern Europe, as well as Asia. Hyde Park was truly a melting pot. The Scots-Irish ancestry of her father Herbert W. Scott combined with that of her mother, Sadie (Sarah) Hunter Scott, who as a young woman, left her home in Nova Scotia and boldly embarked on the journey to Boston to start a new life. She and Herb were married in May of 1913, raised three children—Bob, Vera and Walter--and enjoyed a modest but comfortable life in their home at 21 Dell Ave. in Hyde Park. Throughout her life, Vera remained a devoted and loyal friend to all of her childhood friends from Hyde Park.
In 1935, the Scott family's lives were tragically altered when Sadie died of breast cancer, after which 16-year-old Vera, although devastated by the loss of her mother, stepped in to help run things at home, while keeping a protective watch over her then-12-year-old younger brother Walter, her close bond with whom continued up to the day of her death.
Music was a vital part of Vera's life growing up, centered in the musical activities at Hyde Park's Christ Episcopal Church. As the piano player in her family, Vera was often called upon to accompany her father and other neighborhood friends in sing-alongs; but both in her youth and adult years, she also sang as an alto in many church and independent choirs, developing an appreciation for classical music and opera as well, while also relishing family favorites from The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz among others. Her children learned many a song in the back seat of the car, on family trips, as Vera and her first husband, Ray Townsend, loved to sing and were wonderful at harmonizing. Her children and grandchildren carried on that musical tradition, mastering the piano and guitar, singing in choruses and participating in other musical activities, which Vera
loved to listen to and watch.
Vera married Ray on February 14, 1942, a little over two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. When Ray tried to enlist in the Air Force, he was told that his job at the Watertown Arsenal would be a vital contribution to the war effort, so with Vera's support, Ray played his role on the home front, helping to keep U.S. and Allied troops supplied with ammunition and related machinery. Carleton was born in 1944, followed by Cynthia in 1946, and then Doug in 1950. Then in 1967, Ray and Vera welcomed their fourth child, Amy, whose arrival brought immense joy and excitement to the family, and to Ray and Vera who, despite being well into their forties, were thrilled to be parents once again. After Ray's untimely death in 1983, Vera lovingly took up the task of being both mother and father to then-16-year-old Amy.
Vera never shied away from challenges that others might have found daunting. In December of 1957, she and Ray picked up their family and moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Ray began his new assignment with the Gillette Co. She ably managed the tasks of starting a new life in a very different culture, with all its attendant difficulties and frustrations, learning Spanish, and helping her children adjust to their new lives. Well into her seventies, she made sure she acquired a computer and mastered the Internet in order to follow domestic and international news as well as stay in touch with longtime friends and family members. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she traveled abroad, and at the age of 74-75, she more than once drove up the East coast from her home in Beverly Hills, Florida to Bedford, Mass. by herself.
A final chapter in Vera's life was her marriage to Bob Brown, who had grown up in the same Hyde Park neighborhood as Vera. An orthopedist and Navy veteran, Bob had had a brilliant career at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and in private practice in Hampden, Maine. As a widower, with some help from Walter Scott, he sought out, courted and married Vera in 1995 in Hampden, where they lived for four very happy years until Bob's death from cancer in 1999. A widow for the second time, Vera then took up residence at Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, Mass, not far from her children and grandchildren, and continued to enjoy family gatherings and visits from family members and friends well into her nineties, in addition to making new friends among the residents of the Village. With her gentle personality and sharp intellect, she endeared herself to many. The August, 2013 transition to Carleton-Willard's specialized nursing facility was a difficult one for her; yet she still summoned her characteristic warmth, grace and good humor in everything she did. While her passing has caused great sadness among her family and small number of surviving friends, they rejoice in the knowledge that having had Vera in their lives was a very special privilege. Her absence will be keenly felt.
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