Obituary of Richard E Brown

Brown, Richard E. Age 77, of Burnsville. Passed away due to complications from ALS on June 20, 2020. Raised in south Minneapolis, graduated from De LaSalle High School, 1961. Attended University of Minnesota, majored in psychology. Served in the Minnesota National Guard and worked as a probation officer for Hennepin County until 2003, at which time he returned to school, earned two Master's Degrees, and embarked on a career teaching English at Normandale Community College. In 2016 he was the recipient of that school's Distinguished Faculty award, especially important in that it was a student-voted honor. Dick loved his family and friends, the pursuit of education, camping in nature, stargazing, bicycling, cross- country skiing, the poetry of Wallace Stevens, the Minnesota Twins, and a medium rare steak. His gentle, easygoing manner and calm intellect will be sorely missed. He is survived by wife Sandi, son Jason (Marta Sibirica), beloved granddaughter Nadine, brother Jerry Brown (Sue), sisters Carol Brown and Bridget Soja (Rick), mother-in-law Joan Spell, nieces, nephews and cousins. Date and time of a memorial gathering will be announced at a later date. Memorials may be directed to Normandale Community College, savetheboundarywaters.org or to the National Park Service nps.gov "The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself." Wallace Stevens