Douglas E. BROWN

BROWN, Douglas E.
Born September 6, 1950 in Berkeley, California and passed away June 5, 2011 in Sacramento, California. Doug was a renaissance man who often remarked that he enjoyed his dessert in life first. Life was always the journey, never the destination.
He spent his early years in El Dorado, Arkansas and he returned to Orinda, California in 1965, and graduated from Miramonte High School in 1968. Returning to college several years later, he completed his education in 1988, graduating from CSUS with a B.S. in Construction Engineering Management. He met Diane in 1986 and they spent the next 25 years together.
Doug was a man of many professions. During his career he was employed as a hunting lodge caretaker, a bus driver, a partner in an architectural firm, a construction firm sales and marketing manager, and an international marketing manager for a software firm.
Doug was a storyteller. From tales of mule packing adventures to international travel, we heard the stories many times, but each new audience heard the story retold with added flair and always in a slightly different version.
Doug was an accomplished craftsman. From building a log house with a chainsaw and donkeys, to home remodeling, to designing and building a boat, he enjoyed them all. It was an adventure to watch the construction begin and the project unfold. His final project was the realization of a lifelong dream. He bought a 46-foot sailboat hull and was in the early stages of building a 'retirement home' for him and Diane. He never finished the project, but enjoyed every minute of the planning and building until the end.
Doug was a good person and the social center for many people. He will be sadly missed. Survived by his wife Diane, daughter Shasta Pieper (Darren), stepdaughter Allyson Bleile (Alex), four grandchildren, mother Erma Brown, brother Derek Brown and sister Diane Aaronson, and many lifelong friends around the world. A celebration of his life will be held at the Effie Yeaw Nature Center at 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, CA 95608 on Sunday, June 19th at 2:30 p.m.