March 18, 1936 – March 18, 2024
Dan Brown was born on March 18, 1936, in St. Louis, MO, to Art and Jackie Brown, six blocks from where the Anheuser Busch Clydesdale horses were kept.
The family moved to Los Angeles in 1944, where Art Brown found work helping to build the Los Angeles International Airport.
In 1950, the family moved to the then very rural Woodland Hills where they lived in an army tent while they built their own house. Dan graduated from Canoga High School, and then Pierce College with a degree in landscaping.
In 1957 Dan joined the Los Angeles City Fire Department where he served until 1984, at the rank of Captain.
In 1962, Dan’s parents moved to Grass Valley, CA, where they opened Farmer Brown’s secondhand store. Dan loved Grass Valley so much that he and his former wife Ruth Brown retired there in 1985.
Dan was a longtime member of Twin Cities Church, and the Historical Society. Dan and Ruth volunteered with Sierra Services for the Blind, Nevada County Search and Rescue, providing meals for the homeless, and many other charitable endeavors. Dan and Ruth fostered dogs for over 30 years through Animal Save, Sammies Friends and other animal organizations, adopting and providing a forever home to many of them.
Dan is survived by his daughter, Laura Brown, and his sister, Carol Meinema. He was predeceased by his son, Daniel M. Brown.
In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed to Cancer Aid Thrift Store, Grass Valley, CA.
Arrangements are under the direction of Hooper & Weaver Mortuary.