Donald "Don" Hopkins Brown, Sr. Obituary (1927 - 2018)

Donald Hopkins Brown, 91, passed away early Friday morning, 16 November 2018 at Nexus Specialty Hospital. Memorials should be made to the Fisher House Foundation (https://www.fisherhouse.org/), the American Lung Association (https://www.lung.org/), or the Wounded Warrior Association (https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org) A guest book will be provided at the celebration event. Donald was born September 23, 1927 to Edwin and Helen Brown. He was raised in eastern Pennsylvania graduating in 1944. After graduation he joined the Army at the age of 17 as an enlisted man. He later attended Officer Candidate School where he received and officer's commission. Over a 26 year career - enlisted and officer - he achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and received numerous military medals to include the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit from a tour in Vietnam. In 1970 Donald retired from the Army and soon afterwards began a second career as an investigator and later group supervisor for the Drug Enforcement Administration. His second and final retirement came in 1992. As a military member Donald moved numerous times within the United States and abroad. After retirement in 1992 Donald settled in Greensboro, NC until 2018 when he moved to The Woodlands, Texas. Donald was a loving and caring husband and father. Two of his greatest hobbies were stamp collecting and playing duplicate bridge. His stamp collection encompassed countries worldwide, with his latest passion being stamps from Japan. As a duplicate bridge player he achieved the status of Life Master with the American Contract Bridge League, and until recently was always in demand as a bridge partner due to his extraordinary skills and successes in bridge tournaments. Donald is survived by three of his four sons, Donald Jr, David, and Robert Michael; two brothers, Robert and Richard; 8 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edwin and Helen, his two wives Polly (1995) and Marti (2006), and his fourth son, John (2017). He will be laid to rest with his wife on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at 11:00 AM at Main Post Cemetery on Fort Bragg, NC. A visitation for family and friends will be held at Adcock Funeral Home in Spring Lake, NC from 9:00 to 10:30 AM prior to the service. Condolences may be made at adcockfuneralandcrematory.com