Maryann C (Meara) Brown

Maryann Brown
 June 24, 1935 – May 28, 2025

West Roxbury lost a true original this week. Maryann Brown, born in Boston on June 24, 1935, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2025, at the age of 89 — leaving behind a lifetime of laughter, love, sass, and stories that will be told for generations.

Raised on a quiet street in West Roxbury alongside her siblings, Maryann was predeceased by her husband James Jr., her sister Sheila Brown (Joseph) of Middleboro, and her brother Robert Emmet Meara of Camden, ME. She is survived by her sister Elinor Fagone and her husband Michael of Norton, who shared in a childhood full of neighborhood antics and a bond that never faded.

She was the proud and fiercely loving mother of Christopher Brown (Helene) of Wareham, Julianne Brown of West Roxbury, Gerard Brown and his finacee Nancy Adams of Easton, and Theresa Salerno of Middleboro. Maryann was also the beloved Nana to 10 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren — each of whom knew they were loved beyond measure.

She raised her family with a strong hand, a soft heart, and a very clear warning: “Don’t make me get the whoopin stick.”

Maryann worked for many years at Liberty Mutual, where she was known for being sharp, no-nonsense, and secretly hilarious. But her real joys were outside the office — in her garden, with a good book, at church, or hollering at the Red Sox on TV. She loved God, family, roses, and a well-timed wisecrack.

If you knew her, you probably heard one of her famous phrases:
“Julie, put your butts down and mash the potatoes.”
 “Sit on the stairs when you are fresh.”
 And when things got a little out of hand… “That’s it.” (No one ever wanted to find out what “that” actually was.)

Maryann had a gift for telling it like it is, making you laugh when you didn’t feel like it, and loving you with every bit of her being — even if it came with a side-eye and a smirk.

Funeral from The Robert J. Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre St. West Roxbury on Tuesday June 3, at 10:00 am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Theresa of Avila Church at 11:00 am. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours in the funeral home on Monday June 2, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. Interment St. Joseph Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that you plant something in your garden, watch a Sox game, or tell someone you love them — Maryann-style.