Hope L. Brown passed away peaceful in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 19th, 2023 to be with our Lord and Savior and her beloved husband, Reverend Walter R. Brown. Hope was 89 years old, living a full and wonderful life with Walter as they served many Methodist churches during their 65 years together. Hope was born on March 24, 1934, to Albert and Lulubelle Chaput in South Portland. She is predeceased by her stepbrother, Gerald Gagnon and his wife Helen of Maine, stepsister, Janice Prough of Florida and a grandson, Jared Quint. Hope met Walter at South Portland High School and they both attended college in Boston. They married in 1955 and welcomed their first child, Lauretta into the family of "B's" in 1956, Their family would gradually expand with four more children - Corbette in 1958, Matthew in 1960, Lisette in 1962 and Nicolette in 1964. Hope and the children all got used to the idea of pastoral itineracy, frequently moving from one church, community and school to another as the family served many churches in Maine. Hope was an English and Language Arts teacher in several schools in the communities close to the church parishes they served, including Windsor, Readfield, and Cape Elizabeth. Hope also served as choir director and music director at each of the churches she and Walter served. There were even a few times when she served as "theatre director", convincing members of the congregation to become amateur thespians, entertaining the church congregations and communities in several musicals. Hope's musical and theatrical talents were put to good use during the summers at Mechuwana Methodist Camp, as she directed the Jr./Sr. High Music Camps for many years during the 1970's and 1980's. Prior to the music camps, Hope and Walter also served as counselors for a senior youth camp for one year, bringing their "brood" along for the week. Hope and Walter were blessed with a large family, that has expanded from their 5 children to include 16 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. Hope will be missed by Laury and her husband, Kevin, their 3 children, Cameron and wife Joanna (4 children), Aimee Williams and husband Nate (3 children), Aaron and wife Laura (3 children); daughter Corby Savage and her husband, Kern, their 6 children, Derrick and wife Sarah, Wesley and wife Jessica (4 children), Zechariah and wife Jennifer (2 children), Johanna Poplaski and husband Stephen (3 children), Olivia and husband Nate Leeman, and Scott (2 children); son, Matt and his wife Connie, their 2 children, Meg and husband Kevin Ernst (6 children), Ivan and wife Mariel (3 children); daughter, Lisa Lewis and her husband Jeff, her 3 sons Doug Grant and wife Jessica (2 children), Adam Grant and wife, Ellen (2 children), Joe Grant and wife Tarryn (2 children); daughter Nicolette Brown and her partner, Zach Davis and her son, Alan Quint. Hope will also be missed by a special niece, Lorraine Hupper (daughter of Walter's sister, Lillian Stanley) and her husband Neal of Tenants Harbor. Hope and Walter were involved in the German American Parish Exchange Program which began in the late 1970s. They brought folks to Germany from many American church parishes, from Maine to West Virginia, and arranged host families for the Germans when they traveled to Maine and other parts of New England. Hope and Walter's last trip to Germany was in 2014. Through the exchanges, they made many lasting friendships with their German "families", including the Hott, Hirzel, Boss families and many others. They were blessed over the years to travel and stay with friends in Germany and to be considered "family" and honorary grandparents to many of the children involved in the exchange program. The one constant in the family's life was the camp at their beloved Empire Grove in Poland. The Browns arrived in the 1960s in a school bus that Hope and Walter converted into the family camper for the 7 "B's". The family camped for several years in the bus, affectionally known as the "Bee's Hive" until the "B's" began building and adding onto the camp near the entrance to Empire Grove. The camp saw a lot of changes through the years, and it became Hope and Walter's permanent residence in 2015. After Walter's passing and Hope's moving to nursing care, the "camp" was sold to a new family. Through the years, Hope and Walter made many lifelong friends during their 50+ years at the Grove. A celebration of Hope's life will be held on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at 11:30 pm at Empire Grove Campground in Poland at the East Livermore Memorial Chapel. Visiting hours with the family will precede the service from 10 am to 11 am. A reception will follow the celebration of life at the Lodging House. The interment will be at the Sunset Hill Cemetery for those who wish to attend. Transportation will be made available for those who need it. The address of Empire Grove is: Front Avenue, Poland, Maine 04274 (off Empire Road). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the Empire Grove Camp Association or Mechuwana Methodist Camp.