Internet Home of Lee & Dianne Brown
Robert Lee Brown
June 23, 1935 – June 2, 2022
Robert Lee Brown passed away peacefully at home on June 2, 2022. He was age 86 and would have been 87 on June 23. We are grateful he was still active and at home with Dianne.
Lee Brown was born on June 23, 1935, in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. After finishing high school, he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) as a highway patrol officer in 1956 where he served for five years. His final posting was in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
In 1961, Lee went into a piano business with his brother-in-law in Alberta. He met Dianne when called to her home in Stettler Alberta to tune the family piano. They fell in love and were married on September 1, 1961.
Lee and Dianne initially moved to Ontario and Lee worked in encyclopedia sales for the next few years. Keith was born in Kitchener Ontario in 1962. Kent was born in Stettler Alberta in 1963.
In 1963, Lee joined the Combined Insurance Company, where he would spend the next 32 years of his corporate career in field sales, management, and training roles, before retiring in 1995. In 1976, having tired of the cold snowy Canadian winters, Lee and Dianne transferred with the company to Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1981, they acquired property on Hope Valley Road in Durham NC and founded The Petite Oasis. Lee and Dianne moved to the property in 1995 and have focused on full time property management for the last 27 years. Over 40 years after its founding, The Petite Oasis thrives as a unique rental community in the heart of Durham.
When not in Durham, Lee and Dianne enjoyed traveling in RVs and spent many years traversing the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They also enjoyed international travel to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Italy.
Lee is preceded in death by his three siblings, Kieth, Terry, and Carol Brown. Lee is survived by his wife Dianne Jo Brown; two sons and their spouses, Keith (Debbi) and Kent (Ashland); and six grandchildren, Laura, Glynnis, Branson, Jake, Sam, and Jill Brown.
Thanks for your friendship and support for Lee and Dianne over the years. If you wish to make a memorial recognition for Lee, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice.
- Dianne, Keith, and Kent Brown
