Obituary of Donald Paige Brown

Donald Paige Brown of Eastampton, New Jersey was born on March 7, 1943, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and his twin brother were the youngest of 8 children born to the late Mack and Marie (Collier) Brown. He was the beloved husband for 51 years to Carmen Quinonez; loving Father to Dinyelle (Christopher) Wertz, Vicki Lopez and Tyrone (DJini) Guzman and a doting Pop-Pop to Nicolasa, Allyssa, Kennedi, Kampbell, Kassidy, Jaleesa, Nel-Sylvia and Fernando and a proud Great Grand Pop-Pop to Cameryn, Grayson and Caiden.

Don attended McMichael Elementary School and graduated from Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia. Don was always business minded and with his entrepreneurial spirit he owned several businesses like the ice cream parlor and Don’s Discount at 60^th and Larchmont in Philadelphia. Don sold those businesses and went into wholesale distribution. He continued that until the early 2000’s when his eyesight began to fail. Don later went to work for Best Works Industries for the Blind, Inc for 10 years until his recent retirement.

Don has always valued hard work and independence. In the early 1990’s along with his six day a week distribution route he began vending each Sunday at the Columbus flea market where he quickly made a name for himself and was respectfully known as the “Candy Man.” Don made his vending a family collaboration as his wife children, son-in-law and grandchildren would all take part in helping on Sundays and Thursdays when he picked up an extra day.

In his earlier years Don was politically active and attended many marches and rallies; he was active in the NAACP. Don was well known and respected in the community as well as by local record executives, activists and politicians. Don was a history buff and could spend hours discussing many historical topics especially Black history and the history of his family. Don liked listening to talk radio or watching news programming and CNN was always on in any room that he was occupying.

Don loved music. The Four Tops were his favorite group, and he would dance and sing until he tired. When he wasn’t working, he would meticulously care for his lawn where he was the talk of the court and inspired neighbors.

Don had the gift of gab and never met a stranger. He would spark conversation with just about everyone and would make fast friends even in the grocery store line. He was a leader by example and had also cared for and mentored many and had become a surrogate Father and Grandfather throughout his lifetime, family was his number one love.

Relatives and friends are invited to the Visitation and Funeral on Saturday, July 20 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Falco/Caruso & Leonard Pennsauken Funeral Home, 6600 N. Browning Road, where a Funeral Service will be held at 5:00.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016-5337 OR to American Foundation for the Blind, Attn: Gift Processing, 1108 Third Avenue, Suite 200, Huntington, WV 25701.

“Your presence we miss, your memory we treasure, loving you always, forgetting you never.”