Remembering the outstanding life of Deborah Gaventa Brown, a our guardian warrior.

Deborah Gaventa Brown (66) a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, died peacefully on July 24. A fifth generation Floridian, Deborah was born in Tampa and moved during childhood with her family to Tallahassee, graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1977. She enjoyed frequent trips to the Florida beaches and summer travels with her parents and sister during these years, later instilling a love of travel and exploration in her own children.

Deborah was a talented painter and business woman. After obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1980 from Yale University on scholarship, she moved to New York City where she learned from established artists including Richard Sierra, Frank Stella, Rockne Krebs, and others. She spent summers in Montpelier, Vermont at Goddard College as Artist in Residence, and was Associate Professor of Women’s Studies. In the mid-80s Deborah returned to Florida and served as Director of a non-profit arts center in St. Petersburg before embarking on a 20-year career in sales and business with GTE (later Verizon) and AT&T, which she continued when moving to Santa Barbara, CA, where she married and had a family of her own. In 2000, Deborah moved to Atlanta with her three children to be closer to her sister and parents, and upon retiring she found time to again embrace her passion for art and painting.

Deborah was a proud and loving mom who nurtured her children’s interests in art, nature, animals and friendships. Their home was an open door for family, friends, and pets (bunnies, adopted cats, and finally a wonderful dog that Deborah fell in love with). There was always artwork in progress in her open home studio and displays of family photos everywhere. She was also an avid gardener, with sunflowers and native plants attracting butterflies, and fruits and vegetables proliferating in her gardens.

Deborah was a committed champion of women’s rights for over 30 years. At Yale University, she co-organized the Women’s Speakers Bureau, co-founded the Guerilla Girls Art Group and organized the Collective Feminist Women’s Art Exhibition. She coordinated a Feminism and Environmentalism Conference and Exhibition at the University of Massachusetts. At Goddard College, she led the Women’s Visiting Artist Series and organized a Protest Art Installation with the Bread and Puppet Theater. In Atlanta, Deborah volunteered with the New Georgia Project, canvassed for various successful campaigns, and participated in Get Out the Vote (GOTV) and other important efforts.

Deborah will be terribly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Deborah is predeceased by her parents, Harry Reymer and Betty Anne Gaventa. She is survived by her children, Jack, Ayliffe and Nathan Brown; sister Suzanne Gaventa Folger (Gray) and niece Anna Folger; aunt Mary Alice Braukman and cousins Howard and Stacy Braukman; cousins Bill (Beverly) and John (Juliet) Gaventa; and other family members and friends near and far.

————- below is a statement from Ayliffe, her daughter.—————

On December 22, 2020 Mom turned 66 years old. If you believe in numerology, that means her divine number this year was 3. Allowing her to focus on creative self-expression, optimistism, and social interactions. She was protected and supported by the divine trinity.

As a single mother she worked hard to support her 3 children, while finding creative ways to fight demons. That drive is what enabled her to create long-term security for her children and family, for her friends, for our future generations, and for the Earth. She ensured a strong foundation so we (as a community) can work on aligning our collective morals towards greatness. Her energy and desire for harmony is unbeatable. No other person was like her. Her open heart and mind is what created the harmony she longed for. That is a methodology I (her daughter) will continue to use in my life. She was the person she wanted to see in the world - setting high standards and getting a little bit closer to reaching her goals every day. What more is a life about?

Her spirit left her body on July 24, 2021 in her sleep during the full moon. This day’s number is 9 - meaning the completion of a cycle, yet not a finalization. 9 ushers us through the transition of cycles gathering intelligence from the spiritual world and bringing it to earth. What a beautiful day for the spirits to welcome her. Simultaneously she loved the moon almost as much as she loved the ocean. For mom, they symbolized grace and tranquility. Two states of being that she strived for throughout her whole life.

Mom’s life was exhilarating. I believe it spanned all the spectrums. The common thread is that she always fought for what she knew was right, and inspired people to join her. She was ‘kicked’ out of highschool (and invited to join the first joint enrollment program) for ripping up propaganda on the Vietnam war and throwing it over the students from the roof when school was let out. That was only the beginning of her creative activism and artistic journey.

Please share stories like these for us to all read and love.

While she is not physically here, I know she has been chosen as our Matriarchal Guardian Angel.

We can feel her and hear her spirit within and around us.

<3 Ayliffe <3 

PS If you’re in Atlanta, feel free to stop by the house to add an offering to our alter. We may or may not join you.

We also have a go fund me (https://gofund.me/a98e9492) and a meal train (https://mealtrain.com/e5rkqo ) to help us while we are grieving

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