Barre, Vt. —
Even during chemotherapy, Charlotte had the best times as she and Amelia made joke after joke together. The two even adopted a Rescue Dog, named Gwenny. Charlotte joked young dog would be her granddaughter and described her furry grandchild a sausage pig, with chicken legs and bat ears, since she wouldn’t be around for her daughter’s children, Gwenny would have to do. The two were inseparable as Gwen would sit on the couch with Charlotte all day, while the two just enjoyed each other’s company as Charlotte snuck her powdered donuts.
Charlotte and Amelia felt that life was already hard enough and, with a cancer diagnosis, why darken it with sadness and self-pity? It happened, so laugh at it! Amelia had moved in with Charlotte in the Fall of 2015 to support her mother through the prognosis, as it was. The two were best friends, so a little cancer was nothing they couldn’t make fun. On Feb. 14, 2017, Charlotte wrote, “I couldn’t make it through the cancer, etc., without her [Amelia’s] never-ending loving care and support, her always positive attitude, and never complaining – OH, and her delicious cooking, haha!” If anyone saw the mother-and-daughter duo, it was clearly a positive feedback loop of love, laughs, and a little dysfunction. Regardless of Charlotte’s health being afflicted by illness and cancer, her spirit never showed anything but pure ferocity for the joys in life.
Charlotte was born on Feb. 19, 1956, and was soon adopted by a loving couple, Seymour and Ruth Elizabeth (“Betty”) Browne in Stamford, Conn. The couple had previously adopted a son, Jeffrey Browne. Charlotte grew up to be a spirited child and adult. She found her faith and her love for the arts and music at a young age. She had been a child ballerina, and, after an invitation to dance in New York, the young Charlotte found herself singing in several bands in the 1970’s. She sang in night clubs, and she later joined a Christian band. She also sang with Tiny Tim and Tammy Wynette. Charlotte had been married three times. During her second marriage to Rick Bromfield in the early 1980’s, she and Rick had a daughter, Kathryn Bromfield. After she moved to Vermont in 1988, she had her last marriage to George deNagy and they had their youngest daughter, Amelia deNagy.
Charlotte is survived by her two daughters, Amelia deNagy and Kathryn Bromfield; by her adopted brother, Jeffrey Browne; by her biological siblings, Christine, Bob, and Heather Yeager; and by several nieces and nephews. Oh and of course Gwen the dog. Charlotte was predeceased by her adopted parents, Seymour and “Betty” Browne.
Charlotte’s Celebration of Life party will be on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018, at the Smolder Mist Pub in Barre. Arrival time is 2:30 p.m., and the celebration will begin at 3 p.m.
At Charlotte’s request, no black clothing is allowed, and fun is mandatory (even through tears). She also asked everyone to remember: “It could always be worse! And besides, tomorrow is new day, so you can always make your own sunshine.