NORTH YARMOUTH — Stanford Mains Brown, 95, of Greely Road, died May 22.

He was born in Cumberland, a son of Leland S. and Gertrude Strout Brown. Raised on the family farm, he attended Cumberland schools and Greely Institute.

Stanford began his career working for the state of Maine, maintaining local roads. He then became a welder at shipyards in South Portland. He went on to earn his electrical and plumbing licenses while employed at J.J. Nissen Baking Co.

He married his wife, Helen, on May 26, 1946. In 1954, the couple founded Brown’s Plumbing & Heating, and the company supported the family until Stanford retired in 1990.

He and his wife also launched Brown’s Apiaries, which sold beekeeping supplies, honey and beeswax candles. Brown became one of the state’s most prominent apiarists, serving as a charter member, president and vice president of the Maine State Beekeepers Association, and held similar roles in its Cumberland County branch.

The association named him Beekeeper of the Year, and Brown also received the Charles and Evelyn Divelbiss Education Award from the Eastern Apicultural Society. This national distinction honored him for helping the public understand the importance of the honey bee.

Brown also served as a charter leader of the 4-H Beekeeping Club, and as an instructor in beekeeping for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, which gave him its Friends of Extension Award.

For many years, Brown operated a beekeeping booth at the Cumberland County Fair, where he won ribbons and silver trays for his honey. He was a charter member of the Cumberland Farmers Market.

Brown was also a charter member of the Cumberland-North Yarmouth Lions Club, and a member of Emmaus Lutheran Church in Falmouth.

In his later years, Brown served as a code enforcement officer for the town of North Yarmouth and an electrical inspector in Cumberland.

He was predeceased by his wife, in 1999; a daughter, Patricia Greenlaw; and a son, L. Robert Adams.

Brown is survived by three daughters: Sandra Lefebrve and her husband, Charles, of Cumberland, Kathleen Kelley, of Five Islands, and Anne Brown, of North Yarmouth. He is also survived by six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to Emmaus Lutheran Church, 265 Middle Road, Falmouth, ME 04105.

Copy the Story Link