Earl "Doug" Brown

Earl Douglas (Doug) Brown, a decorated Vietnam Veteran, brave firefighter, and husband to Mary Ethel (Mea), father to Concetta Marie (Fitton), and grandpa of Robert, Mary, and Tommy. Earl "Doug" peacefully passed away on Monday, October 27, 2025.

Doug was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1943 to Earl Leroy and Dorothy Brown. After high school, he enlisted in the military and proudly served in the Force Recon Elite Unit of the United States Marine Corps. He served 4 tours of combat duty in Vietnam earning 2 bronze stars, 4 purple hearts, and many meritorious commendations, medals, and outstanding service citations.

After being honorably discharged from the Marines, Doug joined the United States Coast Guard where he served with distinction on several ships and after 20+ years of service in the military, he retired in 1983 to begin his second career in uniform.

Doug became a federal firefighter on Governors Island in New York City. After several years on Governors Island, the island was closed and Doug then served as a Federal Fire Inspector at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn serving the base and several other locations.

He was also a volunteer firefighter in North Massapequa, NY and then after moving east with his wife to be near their grandchildren, joined the Rocky Point Fire Department serving these departments for over 20 years. He was an active member of the VFW, Marine Corps League, American Legion, and several fire department organizations.

He is predeceased by his parents Earl and Dorothy and his wife Mary and survived by his daughter Concetta, son-in-law Robert Fitton, and grandchildren Robert Douglas, Mary Grace, and Thomas Gerard. He was loved and admired by many after living an exemplary life of service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tunnel to Towers, accessible at https://t2t.org/.