Melinda Brown Scrivner

Melinda Brown Scrivner, age 86, died on July 3rd, 2025 in Peterborough, New Hampshire with her loving daughter Katherine by her side.

Born in 1938 to a family who managed a pulp and paper company, Melinda grew up in La Tuque and Vancouver Canada, Berlin New Hampshire, and Riverdale, New York. She spent most of her middle years in Cos Cob Connecticut before retiring to Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Melinda, a graduate of Wellesley college, taught elementary school in New York City for many years and later in life devoted herself to working with women to help them discover better lives through healing.

Melinda's late husband, Robert W. Scrivner, former Executive Director of the Rockefeller Family Fund and principal of Millburn Company, died in 1984 of Mesothelioma. Melinda steadfastly continued many of their passions they both felt were essential work in the area of Peacebuilding: notably The Winston Foundation for World Peace, which her husband created before his death. The foundation advocated strongly for limiting the development and spread of nuclear weapons and its staff provided leadership and advice to numerous other foundations in the peace movement. To this day, universities such as Eastern Mennonite University, give out fellowships to those most deserving international and indigenous participants new to Peacebuilding.

Robert and Melinda's legacy will live on in organizations like the Council on Foundations for Creative Grantmaking. This group gives a prestigious award each year to a courageous and innovative leader in the area of grantmaking and Peacebuilding throughout the world.

Melinda is survived by her daughter Katherine, her husband Kurt and two grandchildren Kemp and Kole. Also surviving is her brother Kevin, his wife Lucinda and their two children Hilary and Wentworth. Her sister Sherry Wells passed away in June of 2024.

A Celebration of Life will be held at: Putney Friends Meeting House in Putney, Vermont on Sunday October 5th, 2025 at 2pm.

Donations to two of Melinda's most beloved institutions - NPR (National Public Radio) and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Fund) - can be made in lieu of flowers.