Daniel Jay Brown, 82, died at home in Vancouver, Washington, on July 30, 2026.
Born in Santa Monica, California, on Nov. 1, 1943, Dan was the third of four children born to LaVerne William Brown and Zella Mary Kellogg. At age one, his family moved to Mabel in Central Oregon, where he grew up fishing and hunting. They later moved back to Southern California, and Dan graduated from Venice High School in 1961.
In 1962, Dan enlisted in the U.S. Army and attended Signal Corps School at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Sent to Korea in 1964, he met the love of his life, Kwi (“Key”) Choi, on a blind date arranged by an Army buddy. Though they spoke little of each other’s language, they knew they belonged together. They married in Seoul in 1965 and shared 60 wonderful years together.
After leaving the army in 1965, Dan brought Kwi to America to begin life in California. Seeking more adventure, they packed their belongings into a ’66 Mustang and hit the road to explore national parks. After running out of gas and money in Seattle, Dan quickly got a job with the phone company. In 1967, Kwi proudly became a U.S. citizen. Together, she and Dan helped bring her mother and siblings to the United States, changing the lives of generations to come. His new family members held deep appreciation for Dan, with one brother-in-law naming his only son after him.
Dan and Kwi later settled in Marysville, Washington, where they raised their daughter, Sandra. Dan encouraged Sandy to be anything she wanted, shared his love of reading through weekly library visits, and took her on motorcycle rides. A lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, he especially loved riding his Moto Guzzi Eldorado with Kwi through the Cascade Mountains and along the Columbia River.
Dan spent his career as a flight test electrician for Boeing, working on many 700-series planes, including the Boeing E-767 AWACS. He was also a Morse code hobbyist with an advanced amateur radio license and a second-class radiotelephone license. In 1989, Dan helped Kwi start a garden nursery on their acreage by building two 2,300-square-foot greenhouses so she could sell beautiful hanging baskets and flowers. They retired to Vancouver, Washington, in 2004, and spent their final years among wonderful neighbors and friends.
Dan was known for his sense of humor, his stubborn streak, and his love of the Seattle Seahawks. He adored spoiling his grandchildren, Mason and Josie. Fondly called Papa, he filled them up with popcorn, chips, and all the ice cream they wanted, and he was even known to sneak them out on motorcycle rides. A hard worker, loving family man, and devoted caretaker, Dan lived a full life and is now reunited with his true love. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife, Kwi Brown; and his brother-in-law, Sun Sik Choi.
He is survived by his only child, Sandy Brown, and his son-in-law, Matthew Ley, of Wayne, Nebraska; his beloved grandchildren, Mason and Josie; his sister-in-law, Soon Ja (Byung) Park; brother-in-law, Sun Dong (Jay Kum) Choi; sister-in-law, Wan Choi; sister, Kathleen Snyder; nieces Grace Choi, Mee-Na Hwang, Eun Young Park, Anna Jang, Deana Choi, and JuYong Moon; nephew, Daniel Choi; and many grandnieces and grandnephews.
Per Dan’s wishes, no public memorial is planned. He will be honored at a celebration of life for family at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Everett, Washington.
