Editor’s note: The following was sent to The Berkshire Edge by West Stockbridge resident Jim Bruenn on behalf of a “cadre of close friends” of Alice Brock.
To the editor:
Alice May Brock, a giant of a human being who touched people all over the world, left this earth on November 21 at the age of 83. After recent years of courageous struggle with ill health, she was finally able to slip away comfortably and peacefully at The Lily House hospice in Wellfleet.
Alice was the furthest thing from a statistic, so none here. If you want facts, Google her since she is a “famous person”, but not by personal choice.
Through a bizarre series of circumstances, she became a touchstone and icon for thousands, over multiple generations. There’s that amazing song, there’s a movie, there are personal stories shared by individuals everywhere. If you knew her, or even just knew about her, you understand what we’re talking about.
Alice was an artist in every sense of the word. She consumed life voraciously (just the way she read books) and gave back to countless people with a rush of richness.
Her own creative gifts were abundant and remarkable. Countless paintings and drawings, several published books and her famous, whimsical painted rocks, placed by the hundreds all over the globe on beaches and roadways, in museums and on mountain tops.
A sublime alchemist, she reveled in creating improbable and magnificent combinations from the most improbable and unlikely of sources.
She was a legendary cook/chef whose passion was feeding people. She had restaurants, of course, and was the toughest boss imaginable, but those who survived walked away fuller and more confident people. Perhaps her greatest gift was her ability to bring out the very best and the very unexpected in the people and things around her.
Her generosity to anyone in need often left her in precarious financial position. Several years ago in her beloved Provincetown, MA, friends ran a Go Fund Me for her. This comment on the site says it all: “Years ago Alice gave me a job for which I was completely unqualified. I worked my ass off. She yelled at me all summer long. It was the best job of my life. Here’s $25.”
Alice is survived by her chosen family of friends, many of whom have remained close since the 1960’s. So how to honor her? It begs the question: what would Alice do? Ponder something beautiful offered by nature; lose yourself in a painting; listen to some meaningful music; savor a good meal. Or, importantly, just reach out – as she would say – to a fellow human ‘bean’.
Please consider supporting The Lily House in Wellfleet at this link. The people there are angels on earth.
Jim Bruenn
West Stockbridge
On behalf of a “cadre of close friends” of Alice Brock
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