R. Peyton Brown, age 90, of Shallotte, NC, passed away at home in his sleep on April 18, 2021.

Peyton was born October 24, 1930, to the late Edwin Caswell Brown and Frances Peyton Taylor Brown Potts, in Callahan, Florida. He spent his childhood in Atlanta, GA, raised by his mother and grandparents.

A child of the Great Depression, he would recall how hard his grandfather worked and how many neighbors were out of work. His grandmother would feed anyone who came to their door, and send everyone home with extra food for their families. This generous spirit lived on in Peyton. He liked to discover people’s tastes and preferences and perused yard sales, flea markets, farmers markets, and stores to find special items to gift to friends and family for their collections and enjoyment. When family visited, he stocked the fridge with their favorite foods and enjoyed meals out together at beloved restaurants. The twinkle in his eye, along with his wit and warmth, quickly made him a known regular wherever he went. He embodied kindness and easily made connections.

During World War II, Peyton had a victory garden and raised chickens. He once shared, “I had a bunch of chickens. I wouldn’t let anybody kill a chicken. I couldn’t stand the thought of it because they were all like pets to me. There was a mother hen, a Rhode Island Red who would flap her wings and get up on my shoulder and roost there, and I’d walk around the yard with this big, fat chicken on my shoulder.” This love of animals was lifelong.

He was a jitterbug teacher, knowledgeable antique collector and dealer, competitive bridge player, and an avid gardener. If time and energy had allowed, he’d have been in the garden from dawn to dusk, tending to everything green in his care.

A graduate of Georgia Tech (BS in Civil Engineering) and Georgia State (MBA), after ROTC and two years of military service with the Army, he worked for the Ballistic Missile Defense Program and their Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Program for decades, starting at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL and finishing out his career in Washington, D.C.

Peyton is predeceased by his wife, Virginia Johnson Brown. He is survived by son and daughter-in-law, Peyton and Lisa Brown; son and daughter-in-law, Russell and Loretta Brown; daughter and son-in-law, Caroline and Jason Webster; sister, Polly Adams; brother, Kennard Potts; grandchildren: Sarah, Nathan (partner, Joni), Alaina, Peyton Randolph, Christina (spouse, Rèmi), Cullen, and Peyton James; and great-grandchildren: Kane, Alex, Layla, Allison, Antoine, and Meyer.

May he find himself surrounded by his favorite garden, reunited with loved ones, with Patsy Cline or Bob Wills playing in the background, perhaps meeting the guardian angels he spoke of all his life.

1 Corinthians 13: And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Charlottesville Albemarle SPCA.

A private graveside service will be held at Graham Cemetery in Orange, VA on April 28, 2021.

Online condolences may be made at www.brunswickfuneralservice.com

Brunswick Funeral Service, Shallotte