David M. Browne

David Browne of Maitland, FL, died peacefully on August 13, 2016. He was 65.

Born in Nashville, TN, on Halloween, 1950, David grew up with the usual childhood adventures from Boy Scouts to weekend sailing trips with his family. During the Vietnam War, David served honorably in the US Navy at the Pentagon, where he created radio programs to be broadcast to ship-board sailors around the world. He had the opportunity to interview many notable people in his Navy career, including computer pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper and Astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

After the Navy David worked as a reporter for a local Orlando radio station, where he met Sally Kesselman who was working at the State Attorney’s office. Although Sally foiled David’s scheme to extract news scoops, she managed to steal his heart. They were married in 1979 and had two children: Michael and Kathleen.

A pioneer in the important field of technical communication, David was the author of 16 books on Microsoft Word, PageMaker, and Quark Express, several of which were bestsellers.

David worked for a number of technology companies, including Martin Marietta, Fiserv, Integrasys, IDEX, Walt Disney, and Kony, Inc., where he was Director of Communications at the time of his death. Over the course of his professional career he received many commendations and awards for innovation and excellence.

The kind of father who never missed a little league game or track meet, David was a fixture at his daughter’s high school and Rollins College basketball games, where he faithfully photographed all the players in action and freely distributed the pictures to the other parents. But second to his family, his greatest passion was sailing and the Bristol 29 sailboat he single-handedly rebuilt from the keel to the masthead over the course of many years. He was a self-taught marine carpenter, fabricator, electrician, plumber, and woodworker, and his articles on boat modifications and improvements have been read by sailors all over the world where he is the acknowledged leading authority on this particular classic yacht.

David never met a wrong he wouldn’t try to right, a man he wouldn’t befriend, or a dog he didn’t like. He is sorely missed by his surviving family: Sally his wife of almost 40 years, his children Michael and Kathleen, and his brother John.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, August 16, 2016 from 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM at Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home, E. Altamonte Chapel. 994 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32701 with a service to follow Wednesday, August 17 at 9:30 AM at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church. 861 Maitland Avenue, Altamonte Springs, Florida. Burial to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in memory of David to St. Jude Children's Hospital or the American Stroke Association. (https://www.stjude.org/ or https://donatenow.heart.org/)