Tracy Elaine Brown

Tracy Elaine Brown, of Carlisle, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2024, surrounded by her beloved family. She was 58.
The first of Nancy and Robert Brown's three children, Tracy was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in Columbus, Ohio. At an early age she gravitated to reading, as expressed to her mother with the words, "read-a, read-a, read"; cooking, with humble beginnings as she contributed to the "Brown Family Restaurant" (when the kids made dinner); and most importantly, connecting with people.
Tracy spent her college years at Kenyon College, next earned a Masters in English Literature from Princeton University, and then decided on law school, receiving a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. She joined Ropes & Gray in 2004 as a litigation associate, and later applied her exceptional judgment and wisdom as Director of Attorney Development and Diversity and as a key advisor to firm leadership.
Tracy was so very many things, but perhaps the most central of her gifts was her inexhaustible capacity for empathy and human connection. Tracy's innate understanding of not only the hopes and joys but also the fears and doubts of others made her a trusted friend and confidante to countless people, whether she had known them for decades or just minutes. Nearly everyone who encountered Tracy in both her personal and professional lives came away far better for it. In short, Tracy made everyone in her world – the lead actors and bit players alike – feel truly seen, supported, and accepted on a fundamental level. Despite a life filled to overflowing with the family and professional obligations that were so deeply meaningful to her, Tracy was never too busy to sit down and listen to a problem or celebrate someone else's joyful moment. She more than capably handled her own obligations while routinely pausing to pick someone else up in a difficult moment, dust them off with good humor and sincere empathy, and set them back on the path feeling as if everything might just be ok after all. And she would never send anyone off without a slice of homemade bread or a piece of candy from the jar on her office desk.
Although Tracy was a talented lawyer and trusted advisor at Ropes & Gray for decades, she was, at her core, a writer. Her writing, so intertwined with her gift for connection with others, felt so natural and effortless, beautifully yet fearlessly examining the realities of our human experience. Tracy's writing gently brought the reader along on a journey toward a deeper consciousness, stopping along the way to admire the natural world with awe, and showing by example that it is possible – and indeed, essential – to sit with all of the richness and complexity of our daily lives. Through Tracy's writing, we learned to look with clear and brave eyes both inward and out toward others, and that we need not shrink from what we see when it feels too beautifully fragile or too difficult to bear.
When not parenting or working (and often while also parenting or working), Tracy was most at home in her kitchen, cooking and baking meals for her family and friends and always looking forward to trying a new recipe. Tracy's meatballs were legendary; her coconut cake, the stuff of dreams. The smell of fresh baked bread or cookies never had a chance to clear out of the kitchen before a new batch hit the oven. Tracy's dinner parties were as famous for the delicious food as they were for the warm feeling of welcome and belonging that she fostered in her kitchen and beyond.
Tracy is survived by her wife, Kyle Faget, her children, Cameron Cross and his wife Kanika, Zachary Cross, Avery Cross, Zoe Cross, Asher Brown, Elijah Brown and stepdaughter Kaitlyn Norcia and her husband David. She is also survived by her parents, Robert and Nancy Brown, her siblings, Daniel Brown and his wife Nalini, and Stephanie Brown and her husband Marc, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
Tracy was one of the most magical individuals to ever grace the earth. Somewhere just out of sight, the unicorns are gathering, and Tracy is likely now gathering with them.
A private celebration of life and burial will be held.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Tracy may be made to the Massachusetts General Hospital in support of lung cancer research. Gifts can be made online or mailed to the MGH Development Office, attention: Keith Erickson, 125 Nashua Street, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114. Checks payable to Massachusetts General Hospital. Please include "Targeting a Cure Fund, in honor of Tracy Brown" on the memo line.
Memorial gifts can also be made in Tracy's name to the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden, 145 Bolton Road Harvard, MA 01451.
Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.