Reef service remembers Browns

Family and friends gathered off a reef at Laguna Beach on March 26 to

say aloha to Donald “Don” Wynn Brown and his wife, Wilma Brown,

longtime residents.

Mr. Brown died March 20 at the age of 91, and Mrs. Brown died on

June 18, 2003 at the age of 86.

The couple were married for 64 years.

Mr. Brown was born October 29, 1913 and moved to Laguna Beach in

1918. Mrs. Brown was born July 4, 1916 to Will and Elizabeth Hatch,

who were orange growers and chicken farmers in the Tustin area.

The couple attended Tustin High School together and spent time in

Laguna Beach when the mode of transport was horse and buggy, with few

paved roads and mostly dirt streets.

An excellent swimmer, Don became a Laguna Beach lifeguard and was

one of the early surfers in the area. He also built boats and this

led him to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He served 20 years and was

honored with numerous medals, including the Silver Lifesaving Medal.

The couple married in 1939 and moved to Laguna in 1954 to raise

their two children. After retiring from the Navy, Don joined the

Orange County Harbor Dept., and served as a master compass adjuster

and gave navigation instruction. He also competed in the Police

Olympics Senior Division in swimming, winning a gold medal. A member

of the Screen Actor’s Guild, he made commercials for Marlboro and

United Caliornia Bank on his surfboard.

After retiring from the harbor department, he joined several tuna

fishing expeditions to Mexico.

In addition to raising her children, Wilma was an artist who

exhibited mosaics at the Festival of Arts for many years. An expert

gardener, she was honored by the chamber of commerce for

beautification.

Wilma is survived by her sisters, Betty Pinkerton of Wildomar,

Calif.; and Marilynne LaMarchina of Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Don is survived by his sister, Joyce Clark, a noted Laguna artist

who now lives in Bend, Ore.; and his brother, Gordon Bradley, of

Sedona, Ariz.

The couple are also survived by their two children, Wendy

Brown-Barry of Mariposa, Calif., and Bill Brown of Bend, Ore.; and

one grandson, Jake Brown.

The memorial service took place aboard the Helena, owned by Gene

Stivers and Marko Woodbury of Dana Point, which departed from Brooks

Street to the second reef.

Joining the boat were the Newport Harbor Patrol fireboat, helmed

by Tracy Sizemore. Many lifeguard and surfer friends paddled out from

Oak Street to pay their last respects to both Browns, while a large

group gathered on the beach.