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COFIELD – Maxine Brown Britt left this world to begin her spiritual journey on Sunday, December 12, after enduring several months of an undiagnosed illness. Her departure was sudden and unexpected, leaving behind friends, loved ones, and a wonderful but unfinished life. True to her nature, she remained private and determined until the end.

Daughter of Howell and Ruby Brown, she was born December 29, 1943, and graduated from Wendell High School and East Carolina College (now University) with advanced degrees.

Maxine was first and foremost an educator, starting her career working with special needs children. Her love of learning and desire to share that gift led her to the Northeast Regional Education Center in Williamston, where she worked to develop curricula for schools in seventeen school districts. Later, as a consultant, she was tireless in her efforts to help schools meet and exceed their accreditation standards. After retirement, she focused her considerable talents and creativity on both her passion for sewing – making everything from elaborate hand-stitched quilts to dolls and comical characters – and her love, shared with late husband Franklin “Bill” Britt, for preservation and restoration of historic structures. Their home continues as a remarkable and treasured example of history preserved.

Maxine was an accomplished cook, an avid reader, a sudoku and crossword puzzle master, a persistent gardener, a skilled seamstress and expert quilter, a rambler and woods walker until her knees denied her, and a lover of all things natural. As a dedicated member of the Ahoskie Woman’s Club, she managed and helped judge their Arts Festival, supporting and encouraging local and regional artists. As a charter member and officer of the Winton Historical Association, she championed efforts to get the town listed on the National Register of Historic Places and gain tax advantages for those rescuing important local structures.

She is survived by stepson, Franklin L. Britt, Jr. (Thea) of Sweden; stepdaughter, Martha Britt Becher (Robert) of Plainfield WI; brother, Steve Brown (Debbie) of Wendell NC; two dear aunts; numerous beloved younger cousins; and lastly, her steadfast companion, “Willie John.”

A memorial celebration honoring her life and memory is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church, 312 W. Main St., Ahoskie, NC on December 29, her 78th birthday.

Arrangements are being made through Strickland Funeral Home in Wendell.

Memorial donations may be made to Preservation North Carolina, P.O. Box 27644, Raleigh, NC 27611; Coastal Land Trust, 3 Pine Valley Drive, Wilmington, NC 28412; Food Bank of the Albemarle, 109 Tidewater Way, Elizabeth City, NC 27909; or to any charity of your choice.