Obituary
Gary David Brown, 83, passed away peacefully at home in Santa Rosa, California, on September 6, 2026, just where he wanted to be. He was born on March 3, 1943, in San Francisco, California, and carried with him a lifelong curiosity about the world and a sense of humor that never left him.
Gary grew up in San Francisco and attended St. Ignatius High School. He later attended Sonoma State University, where he earned a degree in biology, beginning a lifelong connection to science, nature, and learning.
Teaching became one of the great threads of Gary’s life. For decades, he shared his love of learning with students, first teaching biology at Sacred Heart High School in San Francisco and later teaching computer science at Santa Rosa Junior College.
Gary also loved the water. In his youth, he was a competitive swimmer and diver, and later enjoyed SCUBA diving. As a young adult, he taught swimming and lifeguarding at the Boy Scouts Summer Camp in Cazadero, sharing his knowledge and confidence in the water with others.
As a proud Eagle Scout, Gary carried a lifelong devotion to Scouting. He gave generously of his time as a volunteer with the Girl Scouts, continuing his commitment to service, mentorship, and community.
At heart, Gary found joy in many things: his family, animals, science, nature, cooking, reading, and photography. He loved deep intellectual conversation, but he was always ready with a joke or a punny remark. It was truly his mission to make every person he
met laugh.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Garland Leon Brown and Hertha Marie Brown (Klinkig). He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Mary Brown (Jensen); six children, Kelly Gast (Brown), Leisa Walston (Brown), Jessica Rackley (Silva), Courtney Quiroz (Longmire), Derrick Brown, and Christina Brown; twelve grandchildren, Emily, Natalie, Isabelle, Sophia, Baily, Alex, Noah, Rylan, Sam, Kristin, Katie, and David; and two great-grandchildren, Oliver and Flora.
A Celebration of Life will be held later for family and close friends, who will gather to remember Gary in the way he would have wanted: with love, laughter, and stories. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gary’s memory to Friends of Trione-Annadel.
Gallery
Memory wall
It was very peaceful when he went. I was able to be in the rocking chair right by him when it happened. I was glad for my sake. I think he was working on other things at that point. The only pain he experienced was from his neuropathy, mostly in his feet. He only needed Tylenol once a day for that, but then two or three times toward the end. He was bedbound for about three months but was able to move around those confines with varying degrees of help until the last few days. He got on board with hospice just a day before he died and they gave him some morphine pills. When it was clear he was going, and he couldn’t speak, I gave him a few of those just in case.
The neuropathy, the dementia, and complications with the ostomies all played a part. But I think the main reason he went when he did was that he just stopped eating. He weighed 113 pounds when he left the hospital and I’m sure he weighed much less as time went on from there. His spirits were up and down, but he had some good days. The Home Health person who came in three times a week for a couple of hours was a great tonic for him. She laughed at his jokes, some of which I am sure were supplied by “different ones of you”. You know who you are. She listened to all the science-y stuff he knew so much about as well as his moldy oldie music. He even read her a few of his favorite poems. He told me she was an empty vessel waiting to be filled. Ever the teacher!
Thanks for knowing and loving him, some of you for a very long time. Take care.
Not only was he an athlete in all things aquatic, and a professor with a tremendous scope of knowledge, he was also the most good-natured person I’ve ever known. A typical outing with him in the last 10 years of his life was going to lunch for fish and chips on the coast or a burger up on the river, meandering through the back roads of West Sonoma County, laughing, learning, caring. He was an excellent conversationalist, interesting and interested, and listening and engaging in a way that was a delight to partake in.
I know very well after many heartfelt and intimate conversations with him that he was completely devoted to my sister, and that they “loved with a love that was more than love“ (he was an Edgar Allan Poe fan, but I didn’t learn that until his final days). Their affection for each other was quite obvious and their support of each other through thick and thin was a never ending inspiration.
I miss you terribly, brother Brown, and you leave such a large hole in our lives. Rest in peace, my friend.
You had an irrepressible humor that came out no matter the mood you were in. For you, there were no bad jokes. Just jokes that needed a little more accent, or different timing. I can just hear you saying, "Did you hear about Father O'Leary?" in a thick Irish brogue.
I enjoyed sharing experiences about Catholic upbringing. And I knew I could ask you about anything in the world of biology, science, plants and animals, and so much more. It was obvious that learning and sharing knowledge were part of your core.
I will always picture you on the Stumptown deck, the sun on your back, a pint in your hand and a twinkle in your eye.
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