Donald Seymour Brown

1929 - 2025

Donald Seymour Brown

August 24, 1929 - January 13, 2025

Donald Seymour Brown of Richmond, born August 24,1929, the only child of Louis and Lillian Brown, died January 13, 2025, at the age of 95. He is survived by his wife, Beejay Brown; his sons, Doug (Laura) and Chuck (Beth); and his grandchildren, David, Richard, Sarah, Daniel and Lily. He is predeceased by his son, Mark.

Donald shared family, achievement, and adventure for nearly 75 years with Beejay, the love of his life and his partner in everything. Born in Newark, NJ, Donald was a lifelong resident of Richmond from the age of five. As a boy scout, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and was an accomplished golfer. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School before going to the University of Virginia at the age of 15, where he was a cheerleader, boxer, Sports Editor of the newspaper, and a member of the Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity. He had the honor of living on the lawn during his fourth year. Donald developed a lifelong devotion to UVA and its sports teams, which brought him great joy, and occasional agony, throughout his life. During his senior year at UVA, Donald met Beejay who hailed from New York City and was a sophomore at Smith College. Thus began their amazing partnership and journey.

After graduating UVA, Donald attended MCV Dental School where he finished at the top of his class and was rewarded with a senior year externship in Oral Surgery at MCV and St. Phillips hospitals. After dental school, Donald enlisted in the US Navy during the Korean War and served on the USS Atka icebreaker. After the Navy, he finished his studies at the University of Michigan Graduate School of Orthodontics, studying under the renowned Dr. Bob Moyers and presenting his thesis before the American Association of Advanced Science.

Donald and Beejay married in 1954 and moved back to Richmond where Donald started his private practice and helped start a graduate orthodontic program at MCV Dental School. Donald practiced orthodontics for over 30 years, built a thriving practice, and was proud of the fact that many dentists sent him their most difficult cases for treatment.

Donald became interested in stock market investing and this eventually became his second career, supporting many of his and Beejay's passions which included travel, photography, art and philanthropy. He and Beejay traveled the world visiting China, Africa, Europe and Israel and enjoyed many trips with their children. Donald was a devoted father, involved with his three sons' sports endeavors, and passed along a passion for tennis and skiing. He was an avid photographer; his Africa safari pictures were exhibited prominently at the Richmond airport. He and Beejay were enthusiastic patrons of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, sponsoring exhibits including the Terracotta soldiers from China, the Virginia Holocaust Museum where they contributed to the Children's Memorial exhibit, and the Richmond Symphony. Donald was a lifelong member of Temple Beth Ahabah where he was a board member and Brotherhood President.

Donald and Beejay are grateful to the many doctors who helped him survive a heart attack at age 80 and live another 15 joyous and rewarding years with Beejay: Drs. Ellenbogen, Vetrovec, Bickston, Dageforde and Ro in Richmond; Dr. Samir Kapadia at the Cleveland Clinic; and his pharmacist Alain Louka.

The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday January 21 in the Gumenick Chapel at Congregation Beth Ahabah. Graveside services will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to the Virginia Holocaust Museum or the VMFA.