David Brown

David Brown was born to Gladys and David Brown on February 2, 1938 in Austin, Texas. Seven years later, Dave found his forever home in the picturesque mountains of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Growing up, Dave enjoyed riding in the rodeo and boxing, beating the Air Force Champion on his way to becoming the State and Golden Glove Champion. Professionally, Dave was a union plumber pipe fitter by trade and later became a project manager. He had a hand in many of the buildings and homes that exist in Los Alamos today; a physical manifestation of how ingrained he was in the history of the town. He and his family were founding members of the First Baptist Church in Los Alamos where he became a Deacon and attended for the remainder of his life. He had a horrible singing voice, but wasn’t shy in making a joyful noise for the Lord.

Dave was a proud member of the Shriners and Masons and spent many years transporting children to and from Shriners Hospitals. He enjoyed dressing up in his clown outfit (to the chagrin of his grandchildren), and driving go karts in Los Alamos parades (to the joy of his grandchildren). David never met a stranger; he enjoyed visiting with people in the hospital and caring for the elderly in their homes and could always be counted on for a mostly-true story and a good chat especially about Los Alamos, his cowboy past, or his many travels across the globe, particularly to the Philippines.

He married the first love of his life, Janet Brown in 1963 and they had three children. After Janet‘s untimely death, he met the second love of his life, Lilia Maggay while working as a civil servant in Diego Garcia during Desert Storm. They married in 1992 and adopted three children. He considered the Philippines a second home, and enjoyed going back every year to visit family, friends, and especially the children. He loved giving the kids treats and they affectionately referred to him as ‘Daddy Dave’.

His exceptional work ethic, cowboy attitude, and love for people are tenets he instilled in those who knew and loved him. He will be deeply missed by his wife Lilia M. Brown, children: Christine Foley (Tim) of Laramie, WY, Jennifer Stacy of Norman, OK , Travis Brown (Melissa) of Los Alamos, NM, Jenny M. Brown, Chris Allen M. Brown, and Jazzy M. Brown of the Philippines, his grandchildren: Ryan Foley, Sean Foley (Rachel), JD Weiss (Linsey), Emily Woffinden (Daylon), Savannah Brown, Tyler Stacy, Johnathan Stacy, and great grandson Aidan Foley, his brother Dub Brown, sister Juanda Henness (Jim), many nieces and nephews, and members of the community who were lucky enough to know him.

A service for David Brown will take place on Wednesday, February 19th at First Baptist Church of Los Alamos at 11 am, followed by a burial at Guaje Pines Cemetery at 2 pm.

In honor of David, please make donations to Shriners children’s Hospitals.

To leave photos, stories and pictures for the family to cherish, please visit www.riverafamilyfuneralhome.com