Dr. Richard E. 'Doc' Brown, 85

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Dr. Richard Eugene Brown, 85, of Gloucester, passed away peacefully at the Lahey Burlington Hospital on Monday, June 17, 2019, after a brief illness, with his loving family by his side.

He was born in Gloucester on April 12, 1934, the son of the late Carlton V. and Marion (Call) Brown. He attended Gloucester High School and graduated in the Class of 1952 and was the recipient of many high school awards, including a Sawyer Medal, Bausch and Lomb Science Award and a Bachelor Trophy award for commanding the best company in the ROTC program. He furthered his education at Tufts University in Medford and graduated from the Tufts School of Dental Medicine in 1958.

Richard was a dedicated dentist, serving the Cape Ann community for 46 years from 1958 until his retirement in 2004.


Richard was very active in civic, fraternal and other volunteer services throughout his life. Giving back to the community was simply the way he lived. He was a member of the Tyrian Masonic Lodge and Aleppo Temple Shrine and co-chaired for 35 years a golf tournament at Bass Rocks Golf Club for the benefit of the Shriners Hospital for Children. He was a member of the Gloucester Rotary Club and served as its president for two years, and was named a Paul Harris Fellow for civic contributions. He was a life member of the Gloucester Elks Lodge. He was a member of the Bass Rocks Golf Club, serving two years as its president.

One of the highlights of his volunteer work was serving as fundraising chairman for the razing of the old Gloucester YMCA on Middle Street and erecting the present YMCA and then serving as its president for several years after its completion.


Richard’s passion was golfing. He also had many interests that he shared with his family and friends throughout the years, including ski trips to New Hampshire, playing cards, boating, and enjoying the family camp on Little River, trips to the Bahamas and tending his flower gardens. He will always be remembered for his trombone- and piano-playing skills and his willingness to entertain everyone with little prompting! He lived life the way he wanted to the very end, including golfing 18 holes a day this past winter in the Bahamas. He was a friend to many and will be sadly missed.


He is survived by his sister, Judith A. Williams of Bozeman, Montana; sons David Brown (and wife Kathy) of Gloucester, Douglass Brown (and wife Lise) of Rockport, and Derek Brown (and wife Tammy) of Deerfield, New Hampshire; daughters Dianna Monast (and husband Kenneth) of Wareham and Deanna Duplak (and companion Joseph Blood) of Laconia, New Hampshire; step-son Eric Hutchins (and wife Julia McMahon) of Rockport; step-daughter Cheryl Emerson of Milford, New Hampshire; grandchildren Dr. Heather Marshall, Emily Durand, T.J. Marshall, Alexa Duplak, Jessica Duplak, Ashley Cosseboom, Daniel Brown, Corey Emerson, Sean Emerson and Samantha Dexter; and great-grandchildren Jaiden Brown and Isabelle and Raven Durand.

Family pets (too many to list) always played an important role in his life.

He was predeceased by his parents and two wives, Marilyn (Johnson) Perry and June B. (Forsberg) Brown.

There will be a church service at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, at the Gloucester Universalist Unitarian Church, located at 10 Church St., Gloucester, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made on his behalf to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston: Development Office, Shriners Hospitals for Children-Boston, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114.

Arrangements are by the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington St., Gloucester. Online condolences may be given at: www.greelyfuneralhome.com.