June 9, 2018
Brush, Harriet S.
It is with great sadness that the daughters of Harriet S. Brush, 94, announce her death on June 5, 2018. Surrounded by her daughters, Harriet died peacefully at home less than 4 months after the loss of her husband of 69 years, William R. Brush. She was born on May 1, 1924 in Richmond Hill, New York, the twin sister of Everard F. Smith. The Smith twins were the oldest of the four children of Everard P. Smith and Louise F. Smith; the family included two younger sisters— Marion Smith Brundage and Janet Smith.
Harriet grew up in Rockville Center, NY, attending local schools and enjoying many family outings to nearby beaches. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in Ohio, where she was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. After a “wonderful courtship”, Harriet married William R. Brush (Bill) of Brookline, MA on April 3,1948. They were happily married for almost 70 years. They raised their family and lived for many years in Needham, MA.
Family was an important theme in Harriet’s life. In addition to being a devoted wife, Harriet was the mother of three daughters—Deborah, Nancy, and Suzanne. She was a stay-at-home mom until her daughters were school-age, at which time Harriet attended Simmons College, graduating with an MS in Library Science. Harriet worked as a high school librarian, first at Dover-Sherborn High School and later at Brookline High School. Few women in Harriet’s circle of friends had careers when she became a librarian and she was always proud of her working life.
With retirement came lots of travel and a move from Needham to the Fox Hill Village Retirement Community in Westwood. Harriet and her husband Bill moved into Fox Hill in 1994 and this was their home for almost 25 years. They soon became known as “Mr. and Mrs. Fox Hill Village” because they reached out and welcomed new residents and because they contributed so much to the community. Harriet was an early librarian at Fox Hill, formally setting up the library in the community’s early days and remaining involved for many years. She loved being at Fox Hill because it was a stimulating environment and she had many wonderful friends.
Harriet is survived by daughter Deborah Brush Wilson and husband Mark Becker of Damariscotta Mills, Maine; daughter Nancy L. Brush and husband Dario Preger of Durham, North Carolina; and daughter Suzanne Brush Gerstner and husband Barry Gerstner of the Hague, the Netherlands and Safety Harbor, Florida as well as seven grandchildren (Nathaniel W. Wilson, Eben S. Wilson, Nicholas B. Wilson, Orion C. Becker, Phoebe S. Brush, Kathryn N. Gerstner and Erick M. Gerstner) and six great grandchildren (Elise Wilson, Lettie Wilson, Guthrie Brown, Louis Brown, Hasse Teesink and Ties Teesink).
There will be a Celebration of Life for Harriet on Saturday, June 23 from 2 to 4 pm in the auditorium at Fox Hill Village in Westwood, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Massachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773.