Bruce MacDonald Brown

Bruce MacDonald Brown

January 9, 1931 – June 13, 2025

Bruce MacDonald Brown of Merritt, North Carolina, formerly of Raleigh, passed away peacefully at home on June 13, 2025, at the age of 94. He was born in Ardmore, Pennsylvania on January 9, 1931, to Colin Campbell Brown and Harriett Parcells Brown. Most of his early years were spent in the Philadelphia area with summers in Cape May, New Jersey. He attended The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. Bruce graduated from Duke University in 1953 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was a proud member of the SAE fraternity and Naval ROTC, both of which generated lifelong friendships. Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the Navy and became a Naval Aviator serving from June 1953 to July 1956. During that time, he flew surveillance missions along the US Atlantic Coastline and in the Mediterranean Sea. His final posting was in Maine. Upon resigning his commission in 1956, he moved his young family to Dunn, NC and worked for his then father-in-law, Earl Westbrook, at his Chevrolet dealership. Upon the death of his father-in-law, he and the family moved to Raleigh where he joined the firm of Merrill Lynch. He served for many years as Administrative Manager and a Vice President in the Raleigh office.

Bruce was a former member of White Memorial Presbyterian Church, the Kiwanis Club of Raleigh, and the Sphinx Club. He was also a long-time member of the YMCA. He played many basketball games and church league softball games, contributing to long term joint problems, which he complained about until his last day. He also found time to coach his sons’ Little League basketball teams, cheer for the Duke Blue Devils, and watch hours of professional golf.

While living in Raleigh, Bruce was a member of the Carolina Country Club, where he won a Senior Club Championship, had two hole-in-ones, and once shot his age (65). He and his regular partner, Bobby Hines, won numerous Carolinas Golf Association one- and two-day tournaments. Both were feared for their miraculous putting abilities! An avid and accomplished golfer, he was known to give advice on your swing, whether you asked for it or not, and to throw an occasional club. Bruce and Joan Norris married in October of 1989. When his golf scores rose to the point where it was no longer fun, Bruce found his way back to his naval roots and the water. He and Joan bought a sailboat which they docked near Oriental, NC and joined the Whortsonville Yacht and Tractor Club. They spent many happy days on the water, with trips to Ocracoke, Cape Lookout, and beyond.

Bruce and Joan enjoyed the slower pace down east. In 2007 they bought a lot in Pamlico County and sold their home in Raleigh. They lived in Joan’s childhood home in Beaufort for a brief time while building their new home in Merritt. Many special Labrador retrievers made the journey through life easier, and when Bruce was 92, Bentley, the most recent canine companion, joined the family.

He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Joan Norris Brown, of Merritt, NC, children Colin Campbell Brown II and wife Cindy Christopher, of Raleigh and Winston-Salem, Sandra Brown Wayt of Washington, NC, Bruce MacDonald Brown, Junior of Nags Head, NC, and Carol Brown Nash and husband Patrick of Washington, NC. He is also survived by his grandchildren Colin Campbell Brown III and wife Anderson Hackney Brown, Issac Alexander Brown and wife Catherine Bryant Brown, Layton Hamilton Brown and wife Grace Robbins Brown, Sarah Staton Nash Bowers and husband Charles Roman Bowers, Virginia Crutcher Nash Battin and husband Mark Alexander Battin, Katherine Nash Creech and husband Chandler Creech. He was lucky to know and love three great-granddaughters, Becca and Liza Brown, Lucy Battin, and one great-grandson Forbes Battin. He was predeceased in death by his parents, older brother David, and daughter-in- law Rebecca Williams Brown. The family appreciates the loving friendship and care received from his recent caregiver Karen Winfield, as well as many good friends and neighbors in the Silver Acres community. A private family celebration of Bruce’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Hospice of Pamlico County, 602 Main St, PO Box 6, Bayboro, NC 28515. Other fitting tributes would be to toast with a glass of red wine to a well-lived life, enjoy a sunset, or play 18 holes in his memory.