Bonny Anne Brown
SCARBOROUGH - Bonny Anne (Brown) Brown, 87, of Scarborough, wife of 65 years to D. Robert Brown, and daughter of the late Kenneth and Muriel Brown, and her late stepfather, Lewis Sterling, passed away peacefully Aug. 15, 2025, surrounded by her loving family at The Enclave on the Black Point Road.
Wherever she traveled, Bonny always brought life to the party! She will forever be remembered for her infectious laugh (which in one instance caused an entire restaurant to join in her laughter), the mischievous sparkle in her eye, and how the love and joy she gave and received from her children and grandchildren was always evident. And for the South Portland Police Department...her lead foot!
Bonny graduated from Cony High School Class of 1956 and the University of Maine at Orono in 1960, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. A lifelong educator, Bonny taught 2nd and 3rd grade students in Oakland, Rockland and South Portland, as well as embarking on a six-month adventure teaching elementary school in Melbourne, Australia.
While at South Portland schools, she was awarded the Board of Education's Best Award and was counted twice among the "Who's Who" Among American Teachers Award in 1994.
Over the years, she was often recalled as a favorite teacher by many of her young students. Years after her retirement, one former pupil recalled Mrs. Brown as her childhood hero.
"When a class is too excited, most teachers yell at the class, giving treats only when they were good," she wrote. But not Bonny Brown.
"When our class was wound up, she would give everyone a piece of candy, which she called a "chill pill," she recalled. "Somehow, the candy would always settle us down!"
Teaching for Bonny wasn't just a job or even a career, it was a calling. She genuinely loved and cared about each and every child that came through her classrooms, making a lasting impression on generations of Maine schoolchildren.
"Mrs. Brown was my beloved 3rd grade teacher," another grateful student wrote. "I absolutely hated school until the year she showed up at Thornton Heights elementary school."
As devoted as Bonny was to teaching and the development of all those young minds, once the bell rang on the last day of school, she and her family were on the Downeast Highway heading up to their camp in Steuben, on Acadia's beautiful Atlantic coastline, and all that entails:
Hiking with the grandchildren down to Whale Rock to take the frigid dive in, bonfires overlooking the ocean, playing board games, coffee with the neighbors in the morning, or wine at night with anybody who showed up, squaring off her famous chocolate sheet cake (always a favorite with all the kids at Higgins Beach), blueberry picking and strawberry shortcake, Bonny's favorite.
But the most enduring facet of Bonny's rich and wonderful life is her marriage to her husband of 65 years, storied basketball Coach Bob Brown. The couple met in their Augusta grammar school in 1951, later going on to Cony High School, where Bonny Brown sat in front of Bob Brown in home room for all four years. They married after college in 1960, and Bonny always enjoyed telling everyone her name was now Bonny Brown Brown. The couple soon began their teaching and Bob's coaching careers and raising their family from Augusta, to Rockland, to South Portland and finally to Scarborough. Bonny was a tireless supporter of Bob's basketball coaching career, never missing a game, and quietly slipping into the ladies' room toward the end of each tilt because the stress was unbearable!
Bonny is survived by her son, Brett and his wife, Anna and their children Julia, Laura and Sam Brown; her daughter, Barbra and her husband Brian and their children, Anna Driscoll Joyce and her wife, Ruth, Elena, Caroline and Ridge Driscoll. The Browns welcomed their first great-grandchild, Georgie Maeve Joyce in October.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. at St. Alban's Episcopal Church, Shore Road, Cape Elizabeth with a Celebration of Life to follow at Saltwater Grille, 231 Front St., South Portland. All are invited.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Josephine and John Marr Alzheimer's Research Fund.
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