Marygrace Brown

Marygrace (Maiorano) Brown, aged 68, of Pittsfield, passed away on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston surrounded by her loving family after a courageous battle with CNS Lymphoma.

Marygrace was born on March 6, 1955, in Pittsfield, as the daughter of the late Anacleto Maiorano and Mary (Spagnuolo) Maiorano. She was raised in a large and proud Italian-American family where she often recalled her family singing, eating, celebrating and keeping holidays.

Marygrace graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1973 and went to work for the General Electric Company until an industrial injury in 1989 forced her to retire young. She later returned to the workforce within the school systems. She worked for the Pittsfield School Department for ten combined years, first at Reid Middle School and later at Taconic as a peer mediator. In a display of her intrinsic determination, Marygrace earned her Bachelor's degree from MCLA in 2016, making her family extremely proud of this well-earned achievement. She put her education to work in the role as Dean of Students at BART Charter in Adams, where she worked for the last ten years. Mrs. Brown loved her job and her interactions with her students.

Those that knew Marygrace knew that when she put her mind to something, she could do anything. This was especially on display when she took on General Electric through the Residents Environmental Action League enlisting the help of top attorneys to hold GE accountable.

Whether she was earning her third-degree black belt in Karate, watching her much-loved grandchildren, volunteering at church, or getting ready for a big backyard cookout for her family, she was constantly on the move. She also loved maintaining her beautiful flower gardens and her pristine garden-like yard.

Marygrace was a woman of great faith. She and her family were communicants of All Souls and Mt. Carmel until their close; she was an active member of the Ladies Guild there, too. She later joined St. Joseph's Church where she continued teaching CCD.

Marygrace cherished her role as a mom and later as Nonnie; there was nothing more important to her than her family. On May 22, 1981, she married Mike Brown. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her three beautiful daughters and their husbands, Joy and Alfred Sears of St. Louis, MO, Julie and Ryan Brown of Pittsfield, and Jeanna and William Massacani of Pittsfield.

She also leaves her beloved grandchildren, Andrew, Natalie, Haven, Cooper, Oliver, Alex, and Hudson; two siblings: her brother "Ernie" Maiorano, her sister Constance Plankey and her husband Richard, all of Pittsfield, her sister-in-law Elaine of Monson, and many wonderful nieces, nephews, cousins and “the relatives” in Italy. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother John Maiorano who died in 1987.

The Brown family wishes to thank and acknowledge the team at Dana Farber and the nurses and staff at Brigham & Women's Hospital for the wonderful care and compassion that was shown to Marygrace throughout her treatments in Boston. In addition, the family thanks our community for the prayers, thoughts, meals and all of the various ways you have shown your support.

SERVICES: Friends are invited to gather with the Brown family on Friday, March 31st, from 11:30 to 12:45 at the Devanny-Condron Funeral Home. A Liturgy of Christian Burial will follow at 1 PM at St. Joseph's Church, celebrated by Rev. Msgr. Michael A. Shershanovich, pastor. Entombment will follow in the St. Michael the Archangel Mausoleum.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Marygrace's memory may be made payable to "Strong Little Souls," a Pittsfield-based charity supporting childhood cancer patients, and mailed to the funeral home at 40 Maplewood Ave. Pittsfield, MA 01201