Richard Vail Brown of Eastport died on November 26. He was 83.
Born in Southampton on January 3, 1931, to Bartlett Tuttle Brown and Loya Josephine Lawrence Brown, he was raised in Eastport, where he was known as a good athlete who also loved the sea. He met Barbara Lennox Harris locally and they were married December 26, 1951.
Mr. Brown attended the Coast Guard Academy and Springfield College. He interrupted his academic career to work as a fisherman and boat owner. He served his country honorably in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958. He eventually returned to Springfield College, playing basketball while finishing his degree. Afterward he taught and coached in schools, which allowed him to spend his summers on the water. Ultimately, he finished two master’s degrees and, prior to retirement, was the librarian in the Patchogue-Medford schools, later serving on the Eastport School Board.
Mr. Brown was a faithful man and served as an elder of Remsenburg Church, clerk of its Session, and chairman of the Cemetery Committee. He was also active in the Eastport Bible Church. He was passionate about boating, teaching, genealogy and church. He was known to say, “I thank God for the day past and, each morning, for the day ahead.”
He is survived by his wife, Barbara; and by a large extended family and many friends.
Funeral services were held at Follet-Werner Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach on December 4, followed by military honors at the grave site in Eastport Cemetery. Luncheon was served at Eastport Bible Church.
Friends and family are asked to visit his wife, who is currently living at San Simeon by the Sound in Greenport.
on Dec 8, 2014