- Date Of Birth: March 2, 1958
- Date Of Death: May 17, 2022
- State: New Jersey
When you heard that low, husky laugh, you couldn’t help but to smile. Maybe Ian had just told you a joke, maybe he was observing one of the many ironies of life that amused him. Whatever it was, you were part of it, and hearing Ian laugh just made you feel good and glad to be around him.
Those who knew Ian well admired not only his wry sense of humor, but also the man who lived privately and courageously — and without complaint. Even people who had just met him immediately perceived his uniquely kind nature. Simply put, everyone liked Ian.
A most gentle and modest man, Ian MacDougal Brown passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in Community Medical Center in Toms River, with family by his side. He was 64.
Born in East Orange, Ian grew up in nearby Glen Ridge where he attended Glen Ridge High School. He worked for 20 years as a gutter mechanic at Absolute Best Gutter Cleaning, based in Toms River. A lifelong New Jersey resident, Ian lived in the Ocean County communities of South Seaside Park, Ortley Beach and Manchester, before settling in Toms River for his final years.
Ian’s interests included photographing nature. He also enjoyed watching movies and television, and he amassed an enviable collection of classics from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Ian had an amazing talent for building intricate sailing ships from popsicle sticks. His fascinating creations came from his artistic mind, not a kit.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth masterpieces, “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy were among Ian’s most-treasured books. The pages of the LOTR’s third volume, “The Return of the King,” hold his favorite quote: “Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
Ian, your beloved memory lives on in us and with us as we come to the end of our Earthly fellowship. Go in peace, beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend.
Ian was predeceased by his parents, John Brown and Barbara Connelly Brown. He is survived by his devoted twin sister, Barbara Sally Losey; two nieces, Elizabeth Losey Macchiaverna, and her husband, John, of Hoboken and Seaside Park, and Ellen Losey Williamson, and her husband, Timothy, of Toms River; two grandnieces, Penelope and Emilia; numerous cousins; and many, many friends.
