Southern Maryland lost a well- loved soul with the passing of Charles Roy Brown on May 11, 2026. The son of Mildred Ramby Brown and George Brown, Charles was born in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1944, and spent his early years growing up there and in the Clinton area before joining the Prince George’s County Fire Department in 1965. At this point in time the county was transitioning from an all-volunteer force to a paid, career platform, and Charles’s training reflected that of the NYFD. Attaining the rank of Sargeant, he was well respected by his fellow firefighters as someone they could always count on to get the job done, and train his men well. As a young firefighter he participated with other area departments in putting out the fires that erupted in Washington, D.C. after the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, earning him and his colleagues mention in the Congressional record.
After being injured on duty and subsequently taking an early retirement, Charles turned his energies to his love of the water. He was the captain of the Playmate II, a charter boat he operated along with friend Bert Shaffner, and later worked as the first mate on the Bounty Hunter out of Chesapeake Beach. The past decade saw him still on the water, working as a commercial fisherman and crabber. His crab catches were sought after by many of the Solomon’s and Southern Maryland crab houses, as he could be counted on to deliver them only the best quality crabs, something Charlie prided himself in doing. He mentored many friends in the art of crabbing and fishing, and for this he was respected and admired.
Charles often found value in things that others discarded or had overlooked, and loved to refurbish or repair them, whether giving new life to an old fishing rod or fixing up a dilapidated skiff. He was a prankster and lover of practical jokes, something to which all his friends will testify, and a man’s-man in every regard. He felt God’s presence the most when on the water or in a forest: these were his cathedrals. He often would return from an early morning crabbing trip or an evening autumn hunt and exclaim to his wife how beautiful was the nature he had seen, feeling God’s presence in His creation.
An avid sportsman, he enjoyed not only fishing but golfing, skiing and hockey. While still a firefighter, seeking more challenging competition, he and others honed their skills playing against several Canadian firefighter teams, traveling to Toronto for their games, and organized charity games locally with the Washington Capitals. After his brother Richard Brown, a D.C. firefighter, introduced him to skiing, he had the opportunity to ski in Colorado, Switzerland, and Austria, and to play golf at St. Andrew’s Old Course in Scotland, where he scored a respectable 84. His travels with his wife saw him standing at Dracula’s tomb, walking the beaches of Normandy, and cruising down several of Europe’s iconic rivers.
Many would describe Charlie as having a larger-than-life persona. Quiet by nature, he was quick to help someone genuinely in need, and was a thoughtful and generous man. He had a deep respect for family, as well as a well-founded sense of duty and responsibility. He could also be ornery and stubborn, and held strong opinions, often arrived at from life experiences. He was, simply, one of a kind.
Charles will be missed by all who knew and loved him: his wife of 23 years, Mary Elizabeth (O’Toole) Brown, daughter Debbie Brown, son John and daughter-in-law Stephanie Brown, grandson Evan, granddaughter Sarah and fiancé Austin McQuay, brothers Robert and George, brother Richard and wife Susan, step-sister Joanne Otto, step-brother Greg Pruitt and wife Sherri, sisters and brothers-in-law Carole O’Toole and Jeff Zitelman and Peg and John Filloramo, good friend and boat partner Yates Clagett, his firemen brethren and fishing friends, and a myriad of nieces and nephews. May his soul rest in peace, today and always, and the Lord hold him in His warm embrace.
