Richard D. Brown, a Melrose High School teacher and Marine Corps veteran, died peacefully on Sunday, August 30, 2026 after a courageous battle with glioblastoma, with his family around him. He was 87.
He was born in Boston, one of three children of the late Daniel and Anne (McDonald) Brown, and raised in Lynn, where he graduated from St. Mary’s High School. After Newman Prep he earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Salem State College in 1961, and that year he and his twin brother, Robert, were commissioned together as Marine Corps officers. He served four years of active duty in North Carolina and at the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Iwakuni, Japan, then 20 years in the Reserves, rising from private to major and serving as a commanding officer and judge advocate of a Marine law unit. His years of teaching at Melrose High School made him a known figure to generations of students.
He leaves his wife of 59 years, Isabelle (Kimball) Brown; his children, Alison McDonough and her husband Tim of Marblehead, Jason Brown of Swampscott, Cathy Brown of Reading, and Andrea Pagliuca and her husband Steve of North Reading; his twin, Robert D. Brown, and his wife Judy of Groveland; his grandchildren, Kiley, Morgan, Ashley and Stevie; his nephews and niece, Chris, David and Neil Donahue and Heather Borci; and his cousin, Gerard Collins of Winthrop. His sister, Patricia Donahue, and her husband Robert died before him.
Visiting hours are Tuesday, September 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Robinson Funeral Home, 809 Main Street, Melrose, and Wednesday, September 9 at 9:30 a.m. before a 10:30 funeral Mass at St. Mary’s Church, Herbert Street, Melrose. Burial with military honors is Thursday, September 10 at 12:45 p.m. at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne. The family suggests donations to the John Bertram House of Swampscott, 565 Humphrey Street, Swampscott, MA 01907, or Cape Ann Animal Aid, 4 Paws Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930.
Compiled from information published by Robinson Funeral Home. Photograph courtesy of the family via Robinson Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
