Lincolnville, Maine - Jean Ann (Welsh) Brakewood died peacefully on February 7, 2026, in Bangor, Maine, with family by her side. She had recently celebrated her 94th birthday with her children.

She was born February 3, 1932, in Rockford, Illinois, the daughter of James Wilbur Welsh and Nelle Ruth (Schuler) Welsh. She was a direct descendant of Col. William Crawford, the land surveyor for George Washington. Her father was a lifelong educator and school superintendent and her mother was an opera singer and voice teacher. Growing up, Jean made frequent visits to her grandparents' homes in Hancock County, Ohio, where she developed a love for farm life - especially riding horses.

She graduated from West High School in Rockford in 1950 and attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she studied history and physical education. While working in the university cafeteria, she met Richard "Dick" Brakewood, who was pursuing degrees in engineering and business and played football for the Buffaloes. They were married on June 12, 1954, in Rockford and shared 67 years of marriage. She was an outstanding athlete, standing 5 feet 10 inches, and, ironically, she - not Richard - would teach her children to drop kick a football years later.

The couple remained in Boulder another year while Richard finished his studies. His career took the family across the country and abroad. They lived in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Richard Jr. was born; Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Pampa, Texas, where James was born; Escondido, California; Omaha, Nebraska, where Patricia was born; Pretoria, South Africa; Port of Spain, Trinidad, where Harold "E.B." was born; and finally Lincolnville, Maine, where Daniel and Peter were born.

In 1965, Dick and Jean purchased a 100-year-old farmhouse in Lincolnville, surrounded by fields, ponds, brooks, and forest. Jean spent the first year there with her four young children and beloved German Shepherd, Kim, while Dick worked in Thule, Greenland. Dick then left his engineering job, and the family spent the next decade cultivating the land into a self-sufficient farm. They heated the house with firewood cut by hand, raised animals, tended gardens, picked blueberries, swam in Coleman Pond, and lived a minimalist life. Throughout the years, the farm included a milking cow, steers, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens, dogs, and cats. Jean raised her family, canned vegetables, churned fresh butter, and prepared countless home-cooked meals. She served as the family's barber, specializing in bowl and crew cuts and ensuring that everyone looked "presentable." She remained at the farm for nearly 60 years before moving to assisted living in 2024.

In the 1980s, Jean operated her own small business cleaning houses. For a decade, she cultivated many relationships in the community and helped support her family. While the farm and cleaning were her vocations, dogs and horses were her passions. Jean loved riding and caring for her horses, Trouble, Tonka, and Silver - especially in South Africa. She also brought joy to many families who bought her AKC German Shepherd and Labrador Retriever puppies. Throughout the years, she enjoyed many dogs, including favorites, Tippy, Kim, Elsa, and Lucky. She also found joy in tending her flower gardens and houseplants and keeping the lawn mowed and trimmed.

Her children and grandchildren fondly remember her cooking, including "hot breakfasts," casseroles, soups, stews, and baked goods from the Queen Atlantic wood stove. The family enjoyed rhubarb pie in the spring, blueberry pie in August, apple pie in September, and her famous whoopie pies in winter. Jean also enjoyed ladies' lunches with Lincolnville friends and weekly trips to town for groceries and laundry. She kept a journal, recording the weather, daily highlights, and the number of eggs gathered. After her children left home, she kept them updated about activities at the farm and around town through her detailed letters - a skill she had picked up as editor of her high school newspaper. Her letters were packed with newspaper clippings, punctuated with notes and underlined sections to ensure her family didn't miss any important points.

Jean is survived by her children, Richard Jr. of Atlanta, James and his wife, Helen, of Connecticut, Patricia Tilden and her husband, Bill, of Islesboro, Harold "E.B." and his wife, Kelly, of New Jersey and Lincolnville, Daniel and his wife, Carolee, of New York and Lincolnville, and Peter of Lincolnville and Bangor. She is also survived by ten grandchildren, Marcus, Candace, Heidi, James Jr., James, Amberlee, Harrison, Eleanor, William, and Molly; and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, in 2022; and her sister, Nancy Slusser, in 2024.