Barbara Jane Brown

Barbara grew up in Woodcliff Lake, NJ, where she married her husband, Byron William Brown, in the backyard of her parents’ home in September 1961. Together, they shared a life filled with love and dedication, raising two daughters, Stephanie Brown Ferreira and Meredith Brown.

A passionate and skilled nurse, Barbara graduated from Johns Hopkins University Nursing School and later earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Michigan State University while balancing work and family life. Her career began in the Emergency Room at Johns Hopkins Hospital as a nursing student. Over the years, she served as a Discharge Planner in the Cardiac Care Unit at Ingham Medical Center and later worked at IntraCorp, where she provided compassionate support to patients navigating disability care.

Barbara lived most of her life in East Lansing, MI, but also spent time in Baltimore, Boston, and Boulder during her husband’s sabbaticals. She was predeceased by her husband Byron, her older brother Nelson Peter Baker Jr., and is survived by her sister Judith Baker Bird.

Barbara had a deep love for cooking and baking, often using fresh ingredients from the garden she tended with her husband. A nurse at heart beyond her profession, she found joy in caring for others—visiting friends who were ill or alone—and had a special affection for children and animals.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in her memory. Barbara’s warmth and kindness will be deeply missed by all who knew her. May her memory bring comfort to those she touched.