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Wilhelmina "Mimi" Van Liere Batchelder-Brown, 93, died on Friday, October 9, 2026 in her home in Santa Rosa, California.
Mimi is survived by her sons, Van (Joyce Sears) of Vinton, Calif., Terry (Belinda) of Bend, Ore., and Kim (Tracy) of Santa Rosa; her goddaughter Gayle Smalley (Judy Curby) of Newton, Mass.; eight grandchildren, Lauren Burleson (Charles), Nikki Cummings, Katy Batchelder-Seibel (Jeren), Eve Elderwell (Adam), Caleb (Meagan), Maddie, Zack and Shea; and five great-grandchildren.
Raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Mimi attended the Westtown School, a Quaker boarding school in Pennsylvania. She graduated from Radcliffe College and received a master's degree in English from San Francisco State University.
Mimi married George Batchelder in 1952. They raised their three sons while living in Washington, Oregon, Arizona and California, and both worked as educators. In the 1980's they moved to Beverly, Mass., and subsequently to Gloucester, Mass.
In Beverly, Mimi and George stewarded the family property, 180-acre Moraine Farm, undertaking its rejuvenation consistent with the design created 100 years earlier by the eminent landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. In her later years, Mimi worked tirelessly to ensure that Moraine Farm would remain the agricultural and forested gem that Olmstead envisioned. Mimi and George introduced Christmas tree production and encouraged conservation farming including bean production. Sheep ranching and maple sugaring were also introduced by Terry on the property.
Today Moraine Farm has been successfully preserved in perpetuity, and The Trustees of Reservations has a central role in ownership and management. Essex County Greenbelt Assoc. protects the scenic landscapes and working farmlands and Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition uses an area for its New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, which provides hands-on training for new farmers.
While living in the Bay Area, Mimi began her study of art conservation at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. After completing training at the Yale Art Conservation Laboratory, she carried out a successful career in paper conservation work, working at the New England Document Conservation Center and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. Later she operated her own art conservation business.
Throughout her life Mimi served in leadership roles for many volunteer organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Beverly Historical Society, Northshore UU Church, and local garden clubs. She enjoyed outdoor activities - boating, camping and hiking. In Washington State Mimi climbed Mt. Saint Helens and slept in a snow cave on Mt. Rainer as a young, adventuresome mom and member of the Mountaineers club.
Mimi is remembered for her fierce independence, can-do spirit, and abundant common sense. Family and friends valued her genuine interest in their lives, her kindness and support, and her wonderful laugh.
Mimi faithfully cheered-on her sons and grandchildren at their sporting events and she was an avid fan of all sports. In recent years she especially appreciated the Warriors' championship seasons and the recent success of the Valkyries.
George Batchelder predeceased Mimi in 1999. Her second husband Tom Brown died in 2019.
A memorial gathering will be planned for Spring 2027 to celebrate Mimi's life.
Donations in her memory may be made to New Entry Sustainable Farming Project or Sonoma Land Trust or Essex County Greenbelt Association.