Maggie Lee Brown

Maggie Lee Brown

“To be remembered with love is to live forever”

On Earth Day April 22, 1993, Maggie L. Brown, 25, of Portland, Maine, was brought into this world to the loving arms of her mother; on March 29, 2019 her mother was blessed to be with her at her home in her arms when she left. She was the beloved daughter of Susan M. Joyce and Wallace R. Brown. She was the beloved sister of Anna G. Brown.

Maggie had a vivacious spirit that was present the day she was born. She loved being out in nature and spent much of her childhood swinging on hammocks with her family on Chebeague Island, exploring the forests surrounding her home, building fairy houses at Mackworth, and walking the dogs at Community Fields in Falmouth. She loved to sit by the ocean. She had a special connection to animals and throughout her life she was surrounded by many of them. She loved her support dog, Mei, with all her heart. She loved music and reading and found comfort in the worlds that her books created for her. She had a profound curiosity and wonder of the world and was deeply rooted in her spirituality. Maggie had a heart of gold. She was a talented writer and the most wonderful listener. She had such a way with words and sharing guidance with those around her. Above all, she loved her family and friends incredibly. She had plans to travel to Arizona this week to stay with her sister before moving to Seattle with a dear friend for a fresh start. She had wanted to continue school to become a veterinary technician and work with animals.

After a period of recovery, Maggie relapsed and lost her battle with addiction. Our hearts hurt that many people will never see the bright young woman that was the soul and essence of Maggie—the confidante, the intellect, the writer, the compassionate daughter, sister, and friend. She had the biggest heart. We want how hard she fought to be a part of her story. We do not want people to feel sorry for her because she struggled with addiction and succumbed to it. We do not want the astonishing light that was Maggie to be overshadowed by the darkness of this tragedy. She was not her addiction. She was not her mental illness. Maggie had hopes, ambitions, and dreams just like anyone else. We never gave up hope for Maggie and we will never stop advocating for all those touched by this terrible epidemic and disease.

Everyone’s life is like a book: some are long and some are short, but all are complete.

Maggie was predeceased by her father, Wallace Brown; aunt, Elizabeth Brown; maternal grandfather Richard Joyce, and paternal grandparents Lee and Robert Brown. Maggie is survived by her mother, Susan M. Joyce; sister, Anna Brown; grandmother, Susan C. Joyce; stepmother, Susan Brown; step-siblings, Chelsea, Nick, Chandler, and Griffin Villetta. Maggie leaves behind her maternal aunts and uncles; Karen McCallum, Donna Bialek, Jeanne Flagg, Richard Joyce, Anne Joyce, John Joyce, Mary Beth Woodman; her paternal aunt and uncle, Wynne Brown and William Brown; her twenty-three cousins and many loving friends.                                                             

 A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at 10 am in New Calvary Cemetery in South Portland, followed by a reception for Maggie at the Bandstand on the Eastern Promenade in Portland.                                             

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:
The Portland Recovery Community Center

468 Forest Avenue, Portland, Maine 04101

The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland

217 Landing Road, Westbrook, Maine 04092

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Maggie Lee Brown, please visit our floral store.