An artist and friend to many—died in her sleep on May 11 after living an unusually interesting life. The cause of death was breast cancer, which followed a spinal injury. She was 74.
An introvert with an affection for early bedtimes, Barbara was not afraid to tell lingering guests to get out of her house. Despite this, she was universally kind, with a magnetic personality. She is survived by her siblings Kevin and Jeff Brown, dear friends all over the world, and a legacy of championing rescue animals.
Her parents were Robert C. Brown and Jean Harding Brown, also an artist. Barbara grew up between Royal Oak, Michigan and Mexico, and traveled abroad widely. She once hitchhiked from Ann Arbor to New York City (“the craziest thing I ever did”) and lived in Greenwich Village as a teenager. She lived for long stretches in Europe and mingled with a milieu of minor artistic and literary celebrities.
At 18, she told her friends she was retiring, and went to live on the Greek island Mykonos. She supported herself by working as a babysitter on the island for a few hours a week. Later she’d say her favorite memory was evenings spent watching the sunset over the island’s harbor.
In a conversation before she died, she said that “early retirement” was the best decision she ever made. “Who wants to wait until they’re 65 to enjoy all the things?” She joined the workforce at 28.
When she moved to Ann Arbor in the 1970s, she worked as a bus driver for the city and the University of Michigan—making a profession out of a lifelong affinity. In an interview with the Michigan Daily in 2006 titled “A Bus With a View,” she told the story of how, as a 6-year-old, her father flew her in a small plane to see the majestic Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. When her mother asked her how the trip was, she said, “I got to ride a bus!”
As a driver for the university, Barbara shuttled passengers, including author 
Toni Morrison, musical group the Buena Vista Social Club, university presidents, and Cesar Chavez. “No matter what happens, at least once a day I meet someone very interesting,” she told the paper.
“Everybody’s got a story.”
An accomplished artist and painter, she focused on work with ceramics and photography after she retired from the university in 2010. Her work was shown in galleries, including the Yourist Studio Gallery in Ann Arbor, as well as the walls of many of her luckier friends. She was relentless in her search for beauty, enlightenment, and joy in the world. She took exceptionally beautiful photos of Detroit.
Barbara was a lover of the arts, with an expansive and eclectic collection on display in her Ann Arbor home. She was also a constant reader with a great love of music. It was an honor to receive one of her perfectly curated jazz mixtapes.
A friend to the vulnerable, Barbara took in many rescue animals, including her beloved deaf greyhound, Phoebe. And she meaningfully helped countless friends and acquaintances when they were in need.
In 2015, she fell off a ladder in a tragic accident that paralyzed her.
The support she received from her friends after that accident is a testament to the generous life that she lived and the time that she shared—at least until it was time for bed.
To plant trees in memory, please visit: http://bit.ly/4bQjkse
