HAVERHILL – Robert R. Brown, “Bobby”, 88, of Haverhill,\u00a0passed away peacefully\u00a0at his\u00a0home\u00a0on January 17, 2024,\u00a0after a long illness.<\/p>\n
Bobby was born in Lawrence, MA on September 6, 1935. He was the son of the late Josiah and Winifred (Mechan) Brown. He attended Haverhill Public Schools and graduated from Haverhill High School in 1953.\u00a0 He prepped a year at Browne &\u00a0Nichols School in Cambridge prior to earning\u00a0his Bachelor of\u00a0Science in education\u00a0from Boston University in 1958.\u00a0 That same year\u00a0he met Mary Ellen Ruddy at Maize’s in Salisbury Beach where he was a waiter.\u00a0 They married soon after and had 4 children; Ellen, Beth, Douglas, and Rudd.<\/p>\n
After graduation, Bobby worked at Western Electric before starting his teaching career\u00a0at Derry Village Elementary School, Derry, NH.\u00a0 After 2 years he began teaching\u00a0at Hannah Dustin School in Haverhill in what would be a dedicated and distinguished\u00a040+\u00a0year\u00a0career in the Haverhill Public\u00a0School System.\u00a0 His\u00a0summers were spent at Hampton Beach at the family’s bright yellow cottage, “Mary E”, creating fun and exciting\u00a0memories with his family.<\/p>\n
His summer gig was at\u00a0The Club Casino where he was the head of security (maitre d).\u00a0 There he made several lifelong friends\u00a0and was met\u00a0with\u00a0some very interesting experiences, especially with the diverse lineup of performances by artists like U2, Talking Heads, Ramones, Tina Turner, Billy Idol, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Seinfeld, just to name a few.<\/p>\n
Bobby was an avid speed\u00a0walker, cyclist, and\u00a0enjoyed physical fitness. He was a\u00a0voracious\u00a0newspaper\u00a0reader\u00a0and was\u00a0very well versed in current events.\u00a0 \u00a0He inherited a green thumb from his father and enjoyed growing his gorgeous cascading petunias every summer at the cottage.\u00a0 Gardening was a fulfilling and relaxing hobby, and the beauty of Bobby’s petunias, geraniums, and impatiens were\u00a0the “Mary E’s” prominent feature.<\/p>\n
Bobby is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Mary\u00a0Ellen (Ruddy); his children and their spouses, Ellen and Stephen O’Brien, Beth and Michael Mackey, Douglas and Courtney Brown, and Rudd and Cristina Brown; his grandchildren and great-grandchildren,\u00a0Bobby and Sara O’Brien (Nina and Wynn),\u00a0 Johnny and Eryn O’Brien (Ella and Jack),\u00a0Tommy O’Brien and his fianc\u00e9 Jackie O’Connell; Emily, Courtney, and Abby Brown;\u00a0 Josiah and Noah Brown;\u00a0\u00a0Shea Mackey; his sister, Bernice Powers; and\u00a0his former daughters-in-law, Kerri Marshall\u00a0and Kirstin Brown.\u00a0 He was predeceased by his parents, his siblings; George, Winifred Barrett, Elinor\u00a0Trottier, Richard; and his nephews, Georgie Brown and Jeffry Brown.<\/p>\n