Donald William Brown

Donald William Brown 1920 ~ 2011 Donald passed away peacefully at home on March 14, 2011. Donald was born William MacDonald Hallowell Brown on May 17, 1920 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was the youngest son to Edythe M. and Hallowell Brown. Donald had an older sister, Elizabeth Brown (Carpenter) that has preceded him in death. Services will be held on March 18, 2011 at the First Methodist Church Cathedral of the Rockies, 1011 Franklin Street, Boise at 1:00 pm with a reception following the memorial. Donald grew up in Montreal where he attended school at the Selwyn House, Bishops College, Lower Canada College, Vickers Industrial Engineering College and attended graduate school at Syracuse University in New York. Donald served in the Canadian Royal Air Force as a pilot from 1940 to 1945. He trained in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and was stationed as a general Reconnaissance Instructor and test pilot in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada and Costal Command in England during WWII. Following the war Donald returned to his native Canada and worked as an Assistant Purchasing Agent for Canada Air Ltd. in Montreal. Donald immigrated to the United States in 1947 and settled in Salt Lake City, Utah. Donald was an avid skier and this turned out to be a very lucky thing for Donald as in the winter of 1948 while skiing outside of Salt Lake he met the love of his life, Barbara Stratford. Barbara and Donald were married in September of 1948 and spent the next 57 years in marriage devoted to one another until Barbara's passing in 2006. During their engagement together they built by hand a sailboat that still sails to this day. The summer before they were married they began literally building their first house together without any professional help, toting lumber, hammering nails, mixing cement and hauling boulders. All the while working during the day and completing construction during evenings and weekends. The cottage was later featured in the Salt Lake Tribune's home and life section. Donald and Barbara moved to the Boise area in 1963 with their three young children and built a home where they raised their family and shared their love for 43 years. Donald and Barbara had four children, Whitney Ross Brown, deceased at birth in 1952; Richard Stratford Brown, Boise, Idaho; Michelle Shelly Brown Seiler, Seattle, WA; and Ross William Brown, Portland, OR. Donald and Barbara loved their seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Donald lived a full life and was exceptionally active in family, leisure, and business. As a young man, Donald raced motorized boats in Quebec and at one time held a world record for class F boats. He enjoyed tennis, skiing, and boating with his family. Many weekends were spent as a family boating and waterskiing at Lucky Peak Reservoir during the summer and skiing at Bogus Basin in the winter. He was very artistic and enjoyed wood carving, drawing and crating metal sculpture art. Donald also loved to fly. He was a student of aircraft and flew small planes privately for 35 years on business and family trips. In business he worked for Morrison Merrill as an Industrial Engineer, Merchandise Manager, and Plant Manager. He worked for Boise Cascade as a Director of Marketing in the Building Materials Division. He was the founder and President of Image National Sign Company. He was highly inventive and successfully patented numerous devices. He established and serviced national theater chain accounts with United Artists, Mann, Loews, and Warner Brothers. In addition, Image National in Donald's time, was the builder of all Albertson's signage. Donald was involved in local business organizations and served as president of the Idaho Sales and Marketing Organization and served for a period of time as president of his local flying club. Donald was a fascinating man and vibrant personality. He was loved by many and will be dearly missed by his family and many friends. Donald leaves us to join his beloved wife, Barbara and offers the following: "Weep not for me, now my life is spent, my wife and children were heaven sent. Enjoyed the path, my feet did tread and that's all that's necessary to be said." To share memories with the family please visit Donald's memorial webpage online at www.cloverdalefuneralhome.com.