DIANE BROWN

BROWN DIANE RAY BROWN Bold, Brilliant and Beautiful Diane Ray Brown of McLean, Virginia, beloved daughter, wife, mother, business executive, and community leader, lost her courageous two-year battle with cancer at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Virginia on March 25, 2020. She was 51 at the time she entered Heaven's gates. Diane was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the only child of Joan Loretta Ray and the late William Francis "Bud" Ray of New York, New York. Her adoring parents raised Diane in Bayside, Queens, New York in a happy home with her loving grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who were always nearby. Her Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and birthdays were always celebrated with her close-knit family and friends. Her female cousins were akin to her as sisters, and her maternal Grandmother, Catherine, was a constant companion. The importance of family and the respect of others was instilled in Diane during her earliest years. Diane attended Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament grade school and was a bright pupil, the Sisters frequently amazed at her academic skills. She attended Monsignor Scanlon High School in the Bronx, New York. Her principal, Sr. Marie O'Donnell, fondly remembered that Diane always "had a presence and always appeared very sure of herself." Before Thanksgiving of her senior year, Diane's guidance counselor informed her that Tiffany & Co. was seeking seasonal employees. Diane said, "Sure, I'll give it a try", and It was the beginning of her love affair with Tiffany & Co., that would last her entire life. Diane commenced her career with Tiffany & Co. before Christmas, 1986. Bright, quick-witted, and happy to assist, she flourished, perfectly suited for the legendary main sales floor of the iconic Tiffany & Co. flagship store on 5th Avenue in New York City. By the time that the insane joyful madness that is Tiffany & Co. during the holidays ended, Diane knew she had found the career of her dreams. As her high school graduation approached, Diane decided to attend the oldest institution of higher learning on Long Island, Adelphi University, where she was awarded a full academic scholarship. Throughout her university studies, she continued working at Tiffany & Co., expanding her knowledge of the intricacies of the jewelry industry. Upon her graduation from Adelphi, Diane chose to move with her parents to the Jersey shore. And while Point Pleasant, Lavallette and Normandy Beach were Diane's favorite spots for beach and boardwalk fun with friends and family, her dedication to Tiffany & Co. remained laser-focused, with Diane spending two hours every workday commuting by bus and train to and from work. In 1995 Diane was promoted to become the Manager and Vice President of Tiffany & Co. in Short Hills, New Jersey. She was the youngest Vice-President in the 183 year history of the company. As with everything that she did, Diane welcomed this opportunity with the exuberance and dignified flair that was was her very essence. When the store opened, Diane thrived, making many new friends and developing clients along the way as she continued to grow the dimensions of the Tiffany & Co. brand. Given her success, in 1997, the company entrusted Diane with an exceptional opportunity: to further expand the development of retail operations of Tiffany & Co. to manage two stores in the Washington DC metropolitan area, in Tysons Corner and Chevy Chase. Upon moving to Georgetown in the Spring of 1997, Diane immediately found a roommate, Bailey, a black Lab puppy, so that she would not feel alone. Diane was quickly embraced by the District of Columbia community. In late summer of that year, she met the person who would become her soulmate (and the second love of her life behind Tiffany & Co.). Accompanied by two work colleagues, the time was set, and they agreed to meet Leonard (Sonny) Brown on a blind date at Blues Alley, a popular music venue in Georgetown. Leonard always recalls to his friends that "the first time I saw Diane, she walked down the steps from the balcony and straight into my heart." They fell in love and enjoyed a fabulous whirlwind year of events and travels. In December 1998, while on horseback in the Virginia countryside, Leonard proposed marriage to Diane. She was quite surprised and did not think his proposal was genuine - until Leonard retrieved the Tiffany & Co. blue box from his pocket. They married in September 1999 in Middleburg, Virginia, with a large gathering of family and friends on Labor Day weekend. While Hurricane Dennis struck that very same weekend, Diane jumped into action and made the wedding and festivities into a truly unforgettably joyous event. Anxious to begin a family with children of their own, Lee was born in 2000, Catherine in 2002 and Caroline in 2003. The children and her family always remained her primary focus. Birthdays, school events, sporting events, found Diane in the center of the action, as room mother, advocate, and volunteer. She always made her presence and availability to the children her foremost concern. When school holidays came, she instantly became the travel agent -- the family took holidays in Ireland, England, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, the Bahamas, Japan, Iceland, and last summer when she was battling cancer, a tour of Italy's famous cities and countryside. She always made it special. Everyone around the world loved Diane. In 2012, with her insatiable desire for learning, Diane, who was adopted at birth, sought and discovered the identity of her birth mother who had recently passed. Diane also learned that she had a sister, many aunts, uncle, and cousins. They immediately loved recognizing Diane as a family member, embracing her, Leonard, and the children. In 2019, after conducting further genealogy research online, Diane also discovered that she had a brother who was married with two daughters. The family got bigger again. In March 2020, Diane celebrated her 34th year at Tiffany & Co. By then, she managed 20 stores from Virginia to Minnesota, always helpful, always upbeat and elegant with the Tiffany & Co. touch. She was a shining light in all of her roles, whether as a daughter, sister, wife, parent, and as a mentor and professional colleague to so many. She was loving, caring, philanthropic, and joyful at all times-and in her mind, she never had a bad day. She fought cancer like it was a nuisance, never letting it control her life or who she was. She always considered herself as a survivor, not a victim, never seeking attention, but solely love and her hopes for a quick recovery. She will be forever missed and remembered for her beauty, spirit, leadership, courage and smile. Diane is survived by her mother Joan Loretta Ray; pre-deceased by her father, William Francis "Bud" Ray; pre-deceased by her birth mother, Edythe "Edy" Charron; her husband Leonard; her children Lee, Catherine and Caroline, her Uncle Bobby Dunphy, sister Erica Sarapas, and her family; her brother Dan Dill and his family; sister in law Debi Wolfrey and husband Gene, brother In law, Richard Brown and wife Allison her cousins Robert Dunphy, Jr., Shawn Dunphy, Deborah Dunphy Intorcia, Eugene McCrohan, Colleen McCrohan, Ellen Peterson, and Karen Peterson, Debi Wolfrey and, her dear family at Tiffany & Co. and an untold number of incredible friends. When circumstances permit, a celebration of Diane's life will be held. Donations in memory of Diane are welcome at www.foundation.inova.org, click "Donate" at the top of the page, "Gift", choose "INOVA Nursing Education Programs", then Additional Gift Options, choose "Tribute" "Honoree" In Memory of Diane Ray Brown; and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at https://give.bcrf.org/give/31404/#!/donation/checkout.Donations in memory of Diane are welcome at www.foundation.inova.org, click "Donate" at the top of the page, "Gift", choose "INOVA Nursing Education Programs", then Additional Gift Options, choose "Tribute" "Honoree" In Memory of Diane Ray Brown; and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at https://give.bcrf.org/give/31404/#!/donation/checkout.