Eleanore Rita (MacKennedy) Brown, 100
Mrs. Eleanore R. Brown, 100, of Centerville, Popponesset Beach, Mashpee, and formerly of Pittsfield, MA died peacefully on Sunday, December 11, in Centerville, in the arms of her daughter, Shelly Stirling. Born in Pittsfield, Jan 3, 1916, she was the daughter of Daniel and Helen (Mulqueen) MacKennedy. She survived her husband, George, her beloved son-in-law, John Davies; her sisters Mary Cummings and Bridgett Mac Kennedy of Pittsfield.
On March 20, 1943, she married George Brown, the love of her life, just a few days before he was shipped out by the Army to ultimately fight in the Battle of the Bulge, in WWII. They celebrated 61 wonderful years of marriage before his death in 2003. Eleanore was a homemaker until 1956, when she started working for Ed Karam Insurance Company. She discovered her beloved career as a Realtor, while working for Ed, and branched out on her own five years later. She established her own Eleanore Brown Realty in Pittsfield and was the first (and only, for many years) woman Realtor in Berkshire County. She loved selling homes and making people happy so much that she “couldn’t wait to get out of bed and go to work every morning.”
Eleanore and George also owned and operated the Heart of the Berkshires Motel in Pittsfield from 1963-1970. She and George enjoyed travelling throughout countries in Europe and Africa. They also enjoyed spending their winters in Florida for 17 years. She loved boating; fishing; and breakfast on the beach with the sandpipers, her daughters and her grandchildren . She was an avid Red Sox fan; enjoyed “Girls Day” with the kids; raspberry Bubbilicious, her morning tea; coffee ice cream; her two poodles and a Manhattan cocktail in the afternoon!
Eleanore lived a long, happy life. She is survived by her two daughters, Eleanore Bercury, of Pittsfield, and Shelly Stirling and her husband Bill, of Centerville; five grandchildren, Missy Laurentius and her husband Ken, of Bel Air, MD., Kristen Wampler and her husband Scott, of Pittsfield; Carrie Mackinnon of Pittsfield; Ryan Stirling and his wife Marcia of East Sandwich; Eileen Peros and her husband Frank of Marstons Mills; and seven great-grandchildren, Ben Wampler, Abby, Aiden and Ella Laurentius, Piper Mackinnon, Camden Stirling and Alexis Peros. She also leaves her beloved cousins Eileen Litts and John O’Neil, and her dear friend Debbie Dwyer, who took over Eleanore’s Real Estate business in Pittsfield. Eleanore was so beloved by her RE clients, that Debbie retained her name on the business and it is still called “Eleanore Brown Realty;” even after all these years!
A Funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 AM, on April 24th, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Centerville, MA. Interment in the Bourne National Cemetery will be private. Memorial gifts may be made in the form of random acts of kindness in her memory.