All are welcome to join Meredith’s family at a memorial service celebrating Meredith’s life at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Meredith Lynn Brookes of Bradford, N.H. and formerly of Haddonfield and Collingswood, died peacefully after a brief illness on Sept. 22 at the age 36. She was the beloved wife of Timothy England, formerly of Haddon Township and Collingswood; loving daughter of Connie and Bob Brookes of Bradford, N.H. (formerly of Haddonfield); devoted sister of Maureen Brookes of Lynchburg, Va. and cherished niece and goddaughter of Mary Antonakos Cottingham of New York City. She will also be missed by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
From the time Meredith was diagnosed with MRKH Syndrome at age three, she bravely surmounted the many challenges that life with MRKH put in her way. As a young girl, despite frequent setbacks from illness, she enjoyed swimming for the Erlton Swim Club team, where she was known as the “Iron Cupcake” in honor of her tenacious spirit despite her small size. She was also an accomplished diver and coached the Erlton Dive Team for two seasons. Meredith enjoyed playing soccer for her Haddonfield Soccer Club travel team and hiking and canoeing on family vacations in the Adirondacks. She was a voracious reader who loved delving deeply into obscure threads of history and sharing unusual insights with family and friends.
Meredith attended Haddonfield Memorial High School and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, but she was unable to complete college due to illness. As an adult, after a kidney transplant in 2000, she shared her kind and gentle nature as a caregiver for children, including as a teacher’s assistant at Haddonfield Friends School. She met the love of her life Tim in 2005, and they were married in 2011. In recent years Meredith became a passionate advocate and was the co-founder of a foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls with MRKH. She organized local support groups and medical conferences and was loved dearly by the MRKH community. Her generous sharing of her life story and the wisdom she had gained gave inspiration and strength to everyone who heard her.
All are welcome to join Meredith’s family at a memorial service celebrating Meredith’s life at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Haddonfield Friends Meeting located at 45 Friends Avenue in Haddonfield. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Meredith’s memory to Beautiful You MRKH at: 3811 Woodridge Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902 (www.beautifulyoumrkh.org).
