Derek Brown

Derek was born in 1960 in Idaho Falls, where he spent his formative years in the outdoors of the mountain west. Although based on the Snake River Plain, he grew up exploring a diversity of environments from the Tetons and the Wind Rivers to Zion and Moab in Utah. His stomping grounds expanded to include the Cascades and British Columbia when he moved to the Seattle area in the early 1990s. Derek passed away peacefully in his sleep December 2024 after a short battle with cancer.

Derek's parents worked for Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory starting in the 1950s. His mother, Barb, was a mathematician and worked on the first computers on site. His father, Art, found his way into a physics role after graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Derek graduated from the University of Idaho with a BS in Applied Mathematics as well as a BS in their nascent Computer Science program, returned a few years later to finish a MS degree in Computer Engineering. He saw the end of computing by punch cards at U of I and transitioned to text based code early in his career. He was a numbers and widgets guy at heart who spent his career in industrial process control and statistical analysis software. He had some great stories about on-side installs from paper mills to plutonium refineries.

Despite enjoying software, his career was mainly a means to facilitate outdoor trips. The passion for the outdoors was Derek's true defining trait. His community is grateful for all the opportunities he created to get outdoors. Although not the most talkative of guys, he had a love of storytelling. This trait was combined with a love for making and creating things. He was a sketcher his entire life and learned to weave when he was in high school. His daughter is still using his old oak loom that he obtained from a local weaver when in high school. The combination of arts and the outdoors defines Derek well, as attested to by his good friend F. Wertley, a seaside painter.

Derek is survived by his wife, two children, three sisters, and many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews. He volunteered for and was part of a number of organizations: Washington Trails Association, Snoqualmie Nordic Club, and Lake Forest Park StreamKeepers.

Derek's favorite saying with regard to skiing and hiking as was "start slow, ease back, go all day". He will be missed by his family and community.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to the Washington Trails Association, King County Search and Rescue, or your local equivalent, or volunteering for a day of trail work. Or just go skiing, it's what Derek would do.