Donald William Brown

1929 - 1999  (69 years)

• Name	Donald William Brown
  Born	10 Nov 1929	Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86851724
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-97433
  Died	2 Apr 1999	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Buried	Saint James Lutheran Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 4]
  Person ID	I97433	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	Jacob Scheurman "Jake" Brown,   b. 14 Dec 1891, Bentinck Township, Grey County, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 18 Sep 1972, St. Jacobs, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 80 years)
  Mother	Alma Elizabeth Schmitt,   b. 17 Feb 1897, Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 18 Sep 1988, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 91 years)
  Family ID	F31119	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Hazel Georgene Dreisinger,   b. 15 Dec 1916, Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 9 Sep 1998, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 81 years)
  Married	14 Mar 1959
  Last Modified	12 Nov 2024
  Family ID	F25126	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Donald W. Brown Donald Brown shown with Marion Roes his step-daughter building a home for Habitat for Humanity, Jimmy Carter Work Project

  
  

• Notes

  Brown, Donald W. - On Friday, April 2, 1999, at K-W Health Centre of Grand River Hospital, Donald William Brown, age 69 years, of RR 2, Wallenstein. Beloved husband of the late Hazel (Dreisinger) Brown (September 1998). Dear father of Chris and Wilf Shantz of West Montrose, Marion and "Charlie" Lloyd Roes of Waterloo, Grace and Skip Maher and Bob and Darlene, all of Elmira. Also lovingly remembered by his grandchildren, Brad and Julie, Camille and Josie, Stacey and B. J., Adam and Holly and great-grandson, Mitchell; brother of Jerry and Audrey Brown of Wasaga Beach and Shirlene and Steve Stephens of Ellenton, Fla. Don was predeceased by his parents, Jacob and Alma (Schmitt) Brown. The family received friends and relatives at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira, Saturday and Sunday. At noon today (Monday), transfer will be made to St. James Lutheran Church, Elmira, for funeral service at 2 p.m., with Rev. Wendell Grahlman officiating, followed by interment in St. James Lutheran Cemetery. Donations to Chateau Gardens Auxiliary or St. James Lutheran Church Memorial Fund would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy. K-W Record, Monday, April 5, 1999 _________________________________ Local Builder, Contractor Donald Brown was a man of many talents and interests Donald Brown, local builder and contractor, died April 2, 1999 in his 70th year. He had been married to Hazel (Dreisinger) for almost 40 years, and was father to Bob, and to Christine, Marion and Grace. As early as age ten, he helped his father, Jacob "Jake" Brown, build the chapel for the Dreisingr Funeral Home, and the father-and-son team also built the Purity Diary, Weber's grocery store and Coty's grocery store in St. Jacobs (now the Stone Crock restaurant). Until his semi-retirement in 1991, Brown worked in partnership with his brother, Jerry, in Brown Brothers Contracting, and then worked on his own for a few years. Marion remembers working with "Donny" in 1961, cleaning windows in the almost-finished Elmira Fair grandstands. Among some of "Donny's buildings" are the Royal Bank, Brox's Olde Town Village, many churches, the original Freiburger's Grocery store, Trinity United church, Elmira curling rink and "thirty-five houses from the foundation up." If a job required more hands, Brown hired his skilled neighbours and family members. He was efficient and meticulous and expected those who worked with him to be the same. You never got up on a roof without all the tools you needed. And you never showed up for work without a sharp pencil and a tape! When describing his work and community service, one usually starts by saying "for many years." For many years, he helped set up and dismantle the barriers and temporary shelters for Elmira's Maple Syrup Festival. For many years, he served on the Woolwich Agricultural Society, was granted an honourary membership and, in 1991, was given an award for "Meritorious service to agriculture." That same year, Brown decided to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region. He was a house leader on the 1993 Jimmy Carter work project and had worked on almost all the local Habitat building projects, persuading his contacts in the building trades to "come and help" with plumbing, roofing, dry walling, electrical and cement work. His attention to detail was appreciated and so was his self-effacing willingness to work with other volunteers, even those who had only a little experience. Did he have time for hobbies. Certainly. As a teenager, he played the trombone and later sang with the K-W Barbershoppers. For many years, Brown sang in the choir and served on various boards at St. James Evangelical Lutheran church. He and his wife enjoyed dancing lessons, trips to Florida (they went 30 times) and Hawaii. Don's compassionate and generous spirit can inspire all of us. His unique sense of humour, his crazy quirks, his calm silent strength and his never-ending goodwill for those around him will be missed. This article was written by Marion Roes, Camille St. Amand (granddaughter) and Stephen Jones (Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region). Elmira Independent, 6 Apr 1999

  
  

• Sources

  [S199] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Woolwich - St. James Lutheran Elmira CC#2800 Internet Link. Brown/ Donald W./ Brown/ 1929 - 1999/ Hazel G./ Dreisinger/ 1916 - 1998/ Loving Parents Of Christine, Marion, Grace & Bob. [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), April 5, 1999 - Obituary of Donald W. Brown. [S992] News - ON, Waterloo, Elmira - Elmira Independent, Obituary of Donald Brown - 3 Apr 1999. [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86851724.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 10 Nov 1929 - Elmira, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 2 Apr 1999 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Saint James Lutheran Cemetery, Elmira, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth