T Robins "Robin" Brown of Riverton, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024.

Robin was born in Norfolk, Virginia on August 13, 1947, the daughter of Raymond and Elizabeth Brown and sister of Randy, Ray Jr., and Ceci.  She grew up in rural Gloucester County, VA and spent days swimming, crabbing, and exploring the Ware River and nearby forests and marshes.  Robin learned curiosity and compassion from her father and determination and a love of gardening from her mother.  She attended St. Catherine's School and Mount Holyoke College.  There, she cultivated a love of architectural history and made many cherished lifelong friends.

Robin then became one of the first women to attend the University of Virginia, where she received her Master's degree in architectural history.  Upon seeing or walking into a historic house, Robin would start describing specific architectural features with staggering enthusiasm and detail.  If a tour guide at a historic house made a factual error, Robin would correct it in the nicest way possible, then would share many more facts and observations.  The job market for young architectural historians was not strong in the early 1970s, so Robin began working for Governor Nelson Rockefeller in Albany, NY.

In Albany, she met Kieran Quinn at a party hosted by mutual friends, all of whom were priests and nuns.  As if being the only people at the party not committed to a life of celibacy was not enough to catch Kieran's attention, Robin accidentally started a kitchen fire.  (This was an anomaly; Robin was an excellent cook who made four homemade pies every Thanksgiving.)  Kieran was nearly a foot taller than Robin and was twice as broad, but their shared intellectual curiosity and love of the outdoors brought them together.  They married in 1975, moved to Nyack, NY in 1977, and welcomed sons Thaddeus (Thad) in 1978 and Edward (Ted) in 1981.

Robin juggled work, parenthood, hobbies, and civic engagement with boundless energy.  She worked as a consultant in architectural history, as a development officer for several environmental nonprofits, and as executive director of The Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ.  She taught her boys to work hard, to treat people with dignity and respect, and to have a sense of humor.  Robin's family loved camping, paddling, and sailing together.  Robin found joy in gardening and sharing bulbs, seeds, and saplings.  She volunteered for architectural review boards, historical societies, and planning committees and canvassed for local and national politicians.  Robin explored places far and near, from a honeymoon in Peru and Bolivia to a 6,000 mile road trip in 2022 through the south and southwest.

Robin and Kieran moved to Riverton, NJ in 2019 to be close to their grandchildren.  In addition to being a doting grandmother, Robin started a new garden, became active in the Porch Club and Riverton Historical Society, and was an active member of five book clubs.  Robin built a decorative cairn in the corner of her yard in Riverton.  She would be happy that many people have added rocks and flowers to it.

Robin was preceded in death by her parents Elizabeth and Raymond Brown, sister Randy, and brother Raymond Jr.  She is survived by her husband Kieran Quinn, sons Thaddeus Quinn and Edward Quinn (Laurie), sister Ceci, grandchildren Elizabeth, Henry, and Samuel, and many nieces and nephews.  She wanted to live to November to vote and to welcome the birth of another grandchild, but was thankful for the time that she had.

She is greatly loved and will be greatly missed.  A memorial service will be held at the Porch Club of Riverton at 2pm on Friday, October 11.  Another memorial service will be held in Nyack, NY at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Riverton Porch Club in support of the girls career institute.