Russ Glenn Browning

September 13, 1920 - August 28, 2017
Russ Browning died peacefully in Beaufort, SC, where he had lived since late 2012. The oldest son of Carleton Glenn and Venita Mifflin Browning, Russ was born in DuQuoin, Illinois. His father worked for Lehigh Portland Cement Company and was transferred often, which meant the family lived in many locations including Hartford, CT, Buffalo, NY, Richmond, VA, and Allentown, PA. He left home to attend Washington and Lee University, married Helen Rae Wilson, and served in the US Army in India.

After brief careers in insurance and investing, Russ found his calling in fundraising and development, first as a volunteer for the United Way in New Bedford, MA. Following this success, he was recruited by Marts and Lundy, a major fundraising consulting company, and traveled widely to serve his clients. In 1966 he started his own consulting company, Browning Associates, Inc., in NJ. The firm served some 300 non-profit organizations, but found its niche with independent schools and was highly regarded for many years. As a colleague said, 'Russ was a giant in a compact package. He knew when to talk and when to be quiet and make someone else talk. The respect our clients had for him was boundless.'

Russ was predeceased by his parents and his younger brother, Roger. He was predeceased also by his wives, Helen Rae Browning, (nee Wilson), and Patricia Browning (nee O'Donnell). He is survived by his sister, Patricia Venita Browning, of WI; his daughter, Linda B. Griffin, of RI; his son, Kenneth, of CO and AZ, and his wife Deb; his grandchildren, Ashley B. Griffin of MA, and Matthew Browning of CO; his former wife, Irish Browning (nee Helen O'Donnell); and three nieces, daughters of his brother Roger: Barbara B. Carrio, Diane Browning, and Susan B. Justice and their families.