Michael Anthony Brown

Michael Anthony Brown, transitioned peacefully on the morning of October 26, 2021, at Seasons Hospice in Harbor Hospital, Baltimore. For those who didn’t know him, never was there a kinder, gentler, funnier man than Michael. A retired aeronautical engineer, or rocket scientist, as we call him, he seemed to know the answer to everything, from history and philosophy to music and art. And, speaking of art, he was also a very talented oil painter in his later years, having attended night classes at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, before he retired from the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C, where he was a manager of 60 engineers.

Michael was born in D.C. to Dr. Clement Raphael Brown and the former Elizabeth Mattimore, who moved to Clarksville when Michael was 10. He attended St. Louis Catholic Church and school, and, as a teenager, found joy and pleasure working on local farms. As an engineering student at University of Maryland, he worked temporarily at Grace Chemical Company, now known as WR Grace & Co., before the planning of Columbia. After earning a master’s degree from Catholic University, he worked at Comsat satellite communicaitons corporation, as well as the European Space Agency in Germany, which is dedicated to the exploration of space.

Michael, his wife Diane and their seven month old baby Michael (now known as Mitch) were the third family to move to the new city of Columbia, Maryland. Those who knew him were aware that he lived life as it was meant to be lived. He worked hard and loved to travel, while also being perfectly content to be home. He loved people, and it was not unusual that a weekend guest might stay in his home for a year. To bask in nature and admire the trees was a strong point for him. To walk to the super market for cereal and milk was his delight. To walk his dog was a blessing.

On his own he built the entire rear of his family’s home — the breakfast room, the screened-in porch, the deck. He also built his own gazebo, which is lovingly called Gimpa’s Casita (Grandfather’s Little House).

Lewy Body Dementia claimed Michael’s life — that, Covid 19 and a fall. But his life, lived as he believed it should be, made room for him to get an art studio in Oella Mills; and later one on Main Street, Ellicott City; and finally one at Howard County Center for the Arts. His paintings were often quirky, and ofttimes traditional, and always notable. But before dementia crowded his senses, he had created two companies, one of which was involved with solar energy, while the other allowed evaluation of ideas for conservation.

Michael was aware of his illness — it absolutely was not his idea of a good time. Still, his humor would reign. He would say, “If you live long enough, you get old." A keen sense for the obvious, he would also say.

Michael was dedicated to encouragement for all, including when his wife Diane decided to return to school to earn a degree in journalism. He also was a devoted and loving father to his sons, Michael Patrick and Jefrey Leighton Brown; daughter, Courtney Elisabeth and spouse Hugh Mallick; and grandchildren, Michael Antonio and Maria Johanna Bernal and Gemma Elisabeth Mallick.

His daughter Courtney puts the family’s feelings succinctly. She says, “Although I mourn his loss, I know he’s living again with more energy and brilliance than ever before. I imagine God opening the doors of his best pub for his son’s homecoming. May you rest in peace, Dad."

Donations
Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care of Maryland
5457 Twin Knolls Road, Suite 100
Columbia, MD 21045

A Celebration of Life will be held at Donaldson Funeral Home of Clarksville, 12540 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD 21029 on Sunday, December 5, 2021 from 12:30-4:00pm, where a service will be held at 1:00pm. To watch the live-streaming of this service at the scheduled time please click HERE. Interment Private.
 

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