Mrs Brownless and her late husband Gordon retired from Hamilton to Tauranga about 34 years ago.
"They came to escape the frost and the fog," Mr Brownless said. "A lot of their friends did the same."
Born in Ireland, Mrs Brownless came to New Zealand as a child and literally lived on a diet of potatoes, augmented by other vegetables.
"She was from a family of humble circumstances," Mr Brownless said. "She did not eat meat until she got married."
People from her generation were natural recyclers.
"We make a big deal about recycling now, but her generation did not waste anything. Our first sleeping bags as kids were ones she made."
A self-taught pianist, Mrs Brownless also played the harmonica and was part of a group that entertained in elder villages.
"She did a lot of voluntary work and cooking for people. She was also a good seamstress," Mr Brownless said.
"She was very happy and she did not want any of us to be sad," he said of her passing.
Mrs Brownless was also survived by her other son Derek, who lives in Brisbane.
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