WEST WINDSOR… Marlene G. Brown of West Windsor passed away peacefully at home on October 26, 2018, after a long battle with breast cancer.
Marlene was born in Queens, New York, on February 11, 1961, and moved to Great Neck, Long Island as a child. She graduated from Great Neck High School South in 1979, and from Brown University in 1983. After college, Marlene worked in Paris, New York, and Washington, DC, before enrolling in Rutgers Law School-Newark, where she earned a J.D. in 1989.
At law school, Marlene found a passion for tax law, which she followed throughout her professional life. Following a stint at the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, she clerked for Judge Lawrence Lasser, the Presiding Judge of the New Jersey Tax Court, and then began a long career with the State of New Jersey – Division of Law, most recently as Senior Deputy Attorney General and Section Chief. She argued several significant cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court, and served as a fellow with the National Association of Attorneys General U.S. Supreme Court Fellowship Program in Washington, DC.
Marlene was the loving mother of two sons, Mark and Benjamin, who were the lights of her life. She enjoyed music, theater, traveling, and swimming, and was a patient observer of her husband’s and sons’ various outdoor pursuits. After spending an academic year in Paris as an undergrad, and a year clerking at a Paris law firm, Marlene was a fluent French speaker, and loved visiting both Paris and Montreal. She was active in Congregation Beth Chaim, serving as Sisterhood president, a Board member of the Central Jersey Youth Orchestra, and an active volunteer and fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Resource Center.
Marlene is survived by her parents James and Barbara Brown of East Windsor, NJ; husband David McMillin of West Windsor; sons Mark Brown-McMillin of New Brunswick, NJ, and Benjamin Brown-McMillin of Ithaca, NY; siblings Caren Haase (Robert) of West Windsor and Michael Brown (Lillie) of Chappaqua, NY; nieces Allison Haase and Mia Brown; and beloved aunts Michele Buslik and Anita Brown of Manhattan.
Funeral services are 1pm Tuesday, October 30, at Congregation Beth Chaim, 329 Village Road E, Princeton Junction, NJ. Burial is private and will follow at Princeton Cemetery.
The period of mourning will be observed Tuesday, 5-9pm at the Brown – McMillin residence in West Windsor, and Wednesday, 7-9pm at the home of James and Barbara Brown in East Windsor. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Breast Cancer Resource Center in Princeton, NJ, or to the Newport Jazz Festival c/o Newport Festivals Foundation, Essex, MA.