Don Jay Brown

Don Jay Brown, 78, of Orem, Utah passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by loved ones on Friday, October 22, 2021, following a courageous battle with cancer.

Don was born September 1, 1943, in Provo, Utah to William Max and Bessie Bunnell Brown. He was raised in old Vineyard Utah and spent many years working in the surrounding fields and orchards. He served a mission in the North British Mission where he served as District and Zone Leader and Assistant to the President. He met his sweetheart Barbara as a fellow missionary and upon mission completion, they chose to be married on July 21, 1965 in Logan, Utah LDS temple.

Don graduated with a Master’s degree from Brigham Young University and served his professional career there for 39 years. He loved his work at BYU and had several key roles there including his work in Human Resources serving as the Director of Training and Development, Director of Employment, and architect of the BYU wellness program. He was also an avid BYU sports fan and was an integral part of the team, coaching the BYU basketball team from row 15 Portal N.

Don was a sentimental collector. His collections of model cars, recorded music, English bone china are unrivaled. His enjoyment centered not just around the collections but especially the history behind the collections and the stories that he would share with each individual as they would visit. He was a passionate reader of history, with many great historical books, especially those surrounding Winston Churchill.

Don was a season ticket holding BYU sports fan, but an even bigger fan of watching his children and grandchildren participate in dances, sports, and band concerts, rarely missing an event.

Gardening was also a passion, being raised by the Bunnell family of fruit farmers and peddling fruit through small towns by truck as a youth. He spent every growing season weeding, trimming and harvesting his own gardens and was especially proud of his prized 7′ tall hibiscus flowers.

Don is survived by his wife of 56 years Barbara, his 5 children David (Traci) Brown, Carol (John) Stahmann, Robert (Kathy) Brown, Matt (Andrea) Brown, and Scott Brown, his 17 grandchildren, and his sister Patricia (Morris) Clegg. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, older brothers (Max Brown, Mike Sill), younger sister (Linda Odekirk), and grandson (Max Brown).

Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 30th, 2021 at the LDS Vineyard Chapel located at 800 South Geneva Rd, Orem, Utah. A viewing will be that same day before the services from 9:00-10:30 am with the service starting at 11:00 am. Burial will be in the Provo City Cemetery.