David Mitchell Brown

On Tuesday, March 19, 2024, David Brown, loving husband and father, son and brother, was welcomed home with His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ when he was tragically taken away from those that loved him here on earth.

David was born on December 22, 1965 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY to Michael and Beryl (Bogin) Brown.  His childhood years were spent living in New Jersey, Memphis, TN, and eventually landing in Holland, MI, where he completed Junior High and High School.  He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his MBA from Cal Poly Tech in San Luis Obispo, CA.

David was united in marriage to his best friend and love of his life, Terri (Lemm) Brown, on March 21, 1998. They were 2 days shy of 26 wonderful years together at the time of David’s death.  Together, David and Terri have raised one son, Jacob, whom God chose and gifted them through the miracle of adoption.  He was a devoted and loving husband and father, God-fearing spiritual leader, and a servant to his family and community. His love for Terri grew day after day, making their marriage stronger and stronger.  David was a stay-at-home dad since Jacob’s birth, modeling love, respect, integrity, trustworthiness, selflessness, serving others, and so much more.  He homeschooled Jacob for several years, providing guidance with a firm Biblical foundation and strength through Jesus, which brought him great joy.

David was a natural born leader.  It all started in high school, where he became president of his local Junior Achievement program, receiving national awards for best program and best salesman during his senior year. Following college graduation, David worked alongside his father, providing business consulting/planning for small business start-ups, as well as assisting with product development, marketing, and patents of medical products, toys, and sporting goods equipment.  He worked in the health and wellness industry, was Executive Director of the Grand Junction (Colorado) Botanical Garden, and was Program Director at the Grand Junction Business Incubator. His time at the incubator, along with his son’s extensive medical illnesses at the time, inspired David to develop a home-based business to allow him to remain at home to care for his son, which he continued until his untimely death.

In addition to his career leadership roles, David was active in local Rotary Clubs in Tucson, Sierra Vista, and Grand Junction for 2 decades, leading and participating in multiple community service projects through the years.  His service to his communities resulted in 2 Rotarian of the Year awards, one in Sierra Vista (AZ) and one in Grand Junction (CO). As David’s understanding and love for the Lord strengthened, his service focus transitioned to church mission work, where he participated in several church led programs such as feeding the homeless/shut-ins, family adoptions at Christmas, teaching financial planning to the less fortunate as they transitioned from homelessness and prison back into the community, building homes in Mexico for the impoverished (YWAM Homes of Hope), and even shaving his head (with Jacob) to Cure Childhood Cancer.  His love to serve others has never ceased, with ongoing service and leadership through New Life Bible Fellowship ‘Love Tucson’ events, Gospel Rescue Mission, GAP Ministries, Feed My Starving Children, and most recently OCJ Kids, a program for foster kids in our local community.

David loved the outdoors.  He was an avid hiker and enjoyed running, completing several marathons and ultra-marathons including the Tucson Marathon, Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim and Crown King Scramble, as well as summiting multiple 14-er’s in Colorado. David also loved bicycling, both mountain and road biking, having participated in a 24-hour endurance bike race and Tour de Tucson. Other outdoor activities he enjoyed included cross country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, white water rafting, the beach, and landscaping. He also enjoyed listening to various genres of music and watching college sports.

David loved the Lord above all else, always striving to live like Christ. His greatest passion, other than serving the Lord, was his family. He enjoyed every moment they could be together – meals, homeschooling, traveling, playing games, watching movies, listening to music, walking the dog, sporting events, art festivals, and so much more.  His inner child resonated in everything he did. Many special moments with lots of laughter were shared between David and Jake through David’s hilarious story-telling, a gift that was passed down from his mother.  He shared his smile with everyone he met; his family will certainly miss that smile. David will be missed greatly, but there is peace and joy in knowing that David was welcomed into heaven with “Well done good and faithful servant,” and he is rejoicing with our Lord.

David is survived by his wife, Terri Lemm Brown, son Jacob Brown, mother Beryl (Bogin) Brown, sister, Deborah Brown (Tom Flohr), mother-in-law Celeste Lemm, sister-in-law Pam Moon, brothers-in-law Denny Lemm (Terry) and Tom Lemm (Val), and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Michael Brown and his father-in-law, Jack Lemm.

Memorial services will be held Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 10:00 am at New Life Bible Fellowship, 4900 W Cortaro Farms Rd, Tucson, AZ.  Dove release and reception will be held in the courtyard immediately afterwards.  Family and friends can join the service via livestream at newlifetucson.live

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Psalms 34:18

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”   Proverbs 3:5-6