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BROWN PHILLIP FOSTER BROWN (Age 81) A leader in woodturning as a craft art, he left the world on July 14, 2018, with a legacy of the beautiful wood vessels, bowls, and sculptures in nine museums (including the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery), and many private collections. His life as a professional wood turner started in 1975 and overlapped his 30 years as an agricultural economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He moved to Washington, DC in 1959 for his first job with USDA. After serving in the Army and in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic (1963-1964), he returned to USDA, completed a master's degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Maryland, and worked assisting farmers in setting up cooperatives around the country, including in Hawaii. He was a pioneering member of the American Association of Woodturners and its associated chapters Capitol Area Woodturners and Chesapeake Woodturners. He founded the Montgomery County Woodturners, and was recognized in 2017 by the Montgomery County Executive with a Lifetime Impact Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities. He held leadership positions and was active in the James Renwick Alliance, Creative Craft Council, The Center for Art in Wood, and the Collectors of Wood Art. Phil continued to forge ahead and live as fully as he could for a year and a half after a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He was involved in finishing his artwork and making decisions about upcoming exhibitions until the end. Phil was born on June 6, 1937, to Maro Foster Brown and Marguerite Rickey Brown and raised in Denver, Colorado. His father was descended from Christopher Foster who came to America in 1635. His mother was related to the modernist sculptor George Rickey, whose work Phil loved. A member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, he graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in1959. Phil had three daughters with his first wife, Christine Nimmo, in Bowie, Maryland. In 2001 Phil married Barbara Wolanin and began life together in Bethesda, Maryland, where Phil added a woodturning shop to the house. Phil is survived by his wife, his daughters Stephanie Warner, Kate Visciani, and Alexandra Bradley, two step sons, six grandchildren, and sister Constance Bird. A memorial celebration will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 29 at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. Memorial donations may be made to The Center for Art in Wood (141 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA, 19106) for the Phil F. Brown Fund to support the Washington area collection visits of the Windgate International Turning Exchange Residency Program artists that Phil organized for the past five years.Memorial donations may be made to The Center for Art in Wood (141 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia, PA, 19106) for the Phil F. Brown Fund to support the Washington area collection visits of the Windgate International Turning Exchange Residency Program artists that Phil organized for the past five years.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Dear Barbara,
Am writing to express sadness and sympathy for your loss. What productive lives of high achievement you and your husband have shared over the years! It was a partnership that brought beauty and inspiration into the lives of many people.
Wishing you peace and blessings in the years to come.
Joyce A Higashi
August 9, 2018
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Phil, but grateful for his service to our nation with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic.
Our Condolences,
The National Peace Corps Association
July 31, 2018
Phil was always so generous with his time and energies; his warm and kind heart made working with him a joy. We'll all miss him, and i'll especially miss his sense of humor and joy of craft.
Eileen Martin
July 30, 2018
So sorry to hear of this.
Rest In Peace dear Phil.
Love. And prayers to Barbara and family.
Please let me know of arrangements.
We were new friends, but Phil was
a man who loved his life and his work.
Lavinia Washington
July 30, 2018
I would meet Phil at the Baltimore ACC show almost every year. Eventually he ordered some chairs from me, We both had a love of wood especially its tactile nature. I am sure he got a great deal of joy from his family, but I also know the joy one gets from a life spent in a reverence of wood. He will be missed by the woodworking community
john williams
July 26, 2018
I am sad to hear about Phil. I always enjoyed talking to him whenever we ran into each other. He will be missed.
Larry Hawk
Larry Hawk
July 24, 2018
Psalm 90:10 says that the days of our years are 70 years, And if because of special mightiness they are 80 years. May the memories of the wonderful times you shared together bring a smile and joy in your heart.
July 24, 2018
You have my sympathies.From the Arnett family.12200 Wynmore Ln.Bowie Md.
July 24, 2018
Grief can be so very hard, but our special memories can help us to cope. Remember them today and always. 1 Corinthians 15:26.
BM
July 24, 2018
Please accept my dearest and heartfelt sympathy; I am so sorry for your loss. May the God who "binds up the brokenhearted" and "comforts all who mourn" sustain your family during this challenging time. Isaiah 61:1, 2
RK
July 23, 2018
Sorry for your loss. May you cherish the memories
of your beloved love one. Some comforting words
are found at 1 Thesslonians 4:14.
July 22, 2018
Phil's ethic and willingness to share his expertise, knowledge, and enthusiasm alone would be a superb legacy for anyone. When we add to that his remarkable talent and body of work, his drive to teach and inform, and his true friendship with so many of us, I cannot think of a better person to aspire to. My one regret is that I did not know him as long as I might have nor as long as I wish to.
Joe Barnard
July 22, 2018
Through his determination to excel, his prescient efforts in founding three woodturning clubs, his boundless enthusiasm, and continuing support for community outreach, turning, and exhibiting, Phil has been a mentor and inspiration to hundreds of fellow woodturners. Phil continues to live within all whom he encouraged and whose lives he impacted. His skills and his joy of life will be missed by so many.
Gary Guenther
July 21, 2018
It was a pleasure knowing Phil, sharing stories and wood. He has been and will continue to be a positive influence on my life. My sincere sympathy to Barbra and the family.
Paul Mazzi
July 21, 2018
I am glad to have crossed paths with Phil Brown; I will remember his gentle and genuine spirit, as well as his enthusiasm for wood, craft and the work of the hand. Go well, Phil.
Hillary Steel
July 19, 2018
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