Nancy Rees Brown

NANCY REES BROWN February 6, 1949 ? January 4, 2010 Surrounded by the deep love of her friends and family in her home in Prescott, AZ, Nancy Rees Brown, 60, left her body behind and began the next part of her spiritual journey on January 4, 2010. During a 4.5 year struggle with Carcinoid Cancer, Nancy displayed her grace in learning about and coping with this rare disease.  A petite woman with an immensely kind and peaceful spirit, Nancy lived her life ever-aware of the blessing of balance, the beauty of nature and the sanctity of compassion. In the end her liver gave out, but her loving and beautiful spirit lives on.    A potato farmer?s daughter, she was born February 6, 1949 in Ada, Ohio to John and Luella (Brown) Stambaugh.  During her 60+ years of life, Nancy made a tremendous difference in countless ways: to the communities in which she lived, to the clients she served, to the friends who cared for her, and to the family who loved her.   In community, she was committed to developing programs for seriously mentally ill clients and people with AIDS/HIV.  Nancy was skilled at identifying client and community needs and then working to create and implement a program or service to make the life of her clients better.  In Prescott, she was a force in creating Northland Cares, the HIV/AIDS service organization. Her stabilizing influence and steadfastness of purpose helped those around her make this nonprofit a reality in Northern Arizona.  She was formally recognized for her hard work on this project with the Samuel Downing Community Impact Award in 2007.  While working at West Yavapai Guidance Clinic, she was instrumental in creating a jobs-training program for seriously mentally ill clients, improve day treatment services and give clients outdoor experiences in nature.  Earlier in Phoenix, among other programs, she was a leader in creating the ?Family Stress Team? within the Police Department, which responded to spousal and child abuse and death notification situations in a humanistic and caring way. As a social worker, she was beloved by her clients.  Her work with seriously mentally ill clients and people with HIV/AIDS created hope and opportunity for more normal lives.  In a recent hospitalization, she told her husband that one of the hospital workers had received one of the first job placements in one of the programs she had created.  The worker was still employed some 12 years later.  Throughout the community, many other clients can tell success stories of how her caring efforts have impacted their lives. As a friend, Nancy believed in deep and meaningful connections.  Nancy?s friends knew her love for them was unconditional, and with friends of over 30 years, her long-term commitment to friendships was clearly an essential part of her life.  Using her artistic gifts, she would favor friends with remembrances, cards and creative ?acts of kindness,? which many have held onto over the years. Nancy was the rock and foundation of her family.  Her biological family counted on her to maintain the connections over time and valued her as the spiritual center of the family. Nancy looked forward to the annual Christmas Family Gatherings as an opportunity to maintain and strengthen her individual connections with her brothers and sisters-in-law and especially her Goddaughter, Zoe, with whom she shared a special artistic connection.  Nancy said early in her relationship with her husband, Carl, that it was never a question of whether they would have a relationship, but rather what kind of relationship it would be.  For 30 years, they served as each other?s rock which allowed each of them to be active and involved in work, community and friends, while never questioning their commitment to each other.  As a part of that commitment, Nancy loved her relationships with her nuclear family including Marieka (stepdaughter), Jeanne (daughter in law), her grandchild, Kaila and Marion (mother in law).   For each, she provided love and caring in a peaceful and grounding manner and was a beautiful inspiration for how to live a spiritual and balanced life.  Nancy is survived by her husband, Carl; daughter, Marieka (Jeanne); granddaughter, Kaila; mother-in-law, Marion; brothers, Steve (Fran); Tim (Maria) and Goddaughter, Zoe. A Celebration of Life/Memorial Service is planned for either the end of April or May. In lieu of flowers, donations to Northland Cares 3112 Suite A Prescott, AZ 86305 and/or The Coalition for Compassion and Justice P.O. Box 1882 Prescott, AZ 86302 are requested.