Toby Louis Brown, M.D. (1945 – 2025)

Toby Louis Brown, M.D., a native of Philadelphia and resident of Warrenton and Marshall, Virginia for nearly 40 years, died August 12, 2025, in Salem, Virginia. He was 79 years young. Toby is survived by three children, Margaret Ann (Megan) Brown of Roanoke, Virginia, Molly Kate Brown of Boulder, Colorado, and Matthew Toby Brown of St. Augustine, Florida; son-in-law Daniel John Conser (Molly) and daughter-in-law Rachel Lee Moran-Brown (Matthew); four grandchildren, Mary Grace Brown Knappe, Sara Catherine Brown Knappe, Liliana Carroll Brown and Vivian Rose Brown; his brother, James Augustus Brown of Huntsville, Alabama, and his former wife, Leslie Ford Lippard of Salem, Virginia, who helped care for him until his death. He was predeceased by his parents, Rose Dorothy Rubin Brown and James Paul Brown of Philadelphia, and his daughter, Leslie Shannon Brown.

Toby Brown

Toby was born on September 21, 1945, in Philadelphia. His maternal grandparents were Jewish emigrants from the Russian Empire (now Poland). Toby was named for his maternal grandmother, Toba Baum Rubin. Toby’s paternal great-great-grandfather, William Thomas Condon, emigrated from Ireland, enlisted twice to fight in the Civil War, and later traveled the American West and Alaska as a railroad surveyor.

Toby graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia and received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University). He received his medical degree from the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After medical school, Toby completed his internship at Yale New Haven Hospital, followed by a radiology residency at UNC Hospitals and a fellowship at Duke University Hospital. After completing his medical training, he relocated to Warrenton, Virginia, where he practiced with Virginia Radiology Associates for 27 years, retiring in 2006. During his retirement, Toby relocated to his mountaintop retreat in Marshall, Virginia, where he enjoyed exploring the surrounding land and tending to his farm. He also attended Orlean Baptist Church in Marshall.

Toby was an avid explorer, traveler, sailor, botanist, photographer, tinkerer, and life-long Tar Heel fan, who never met a stranger. He was a modern-day Renaissance man with a never-ending curiosity about the world. His love of exploration was nurtured by his parents in his childhood during trips to national parks as well as international travel. At the age of twelve, he spent a month in Norway as a delegate to the Children’s International Summer Village with children from all over the world. At the age of thirteen, he took a trip to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado with his Boy Scout troop led by his father. During medical school, Toby traveled with a medical mission to Nicaragua, where he met his former wife and the mother of his children, Leslie.

In his adulthood, Toby enjoyed sailing on the Atlantic and the Chesapeake Bay on his boats, La Vie en Rose and Ben Gunn. He also had a special place in his heart for the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where he had a cottage in Kitty Hawk and took many trips with his family.

To know Toby was to love him. He had a generous heart, a quick wit, and a ready smile. He dearly loved his family, who loved him very much and will miss him greatly. Toby’s ashes will be scattered at some of his favorite places, including the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. He will be interred at Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia, where his oldest daughter, Shannon, is buried.

Toby’s children wish to extend their heartfelt gratitude to his long-time friend, L. Trice Gravatte IV, MD, for his faithful friendship and never-ending kindness to Toby during the last years of his life. They also wish to thank the staff of Woodland Hills Roanoke, Friendship Richfield Living, and Good Samaritan Hospice for their care.

A celebration of Toby’s life will be held at Fauquier Springs Country Club in Warrenton, Virginia (9236 Tournament Drive) on November 15, 2025, at 11 a.m. The celebration will begin with a memorial service officiated by the Reverend Randy R. West of Orlean Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or National Public Radio, which was the home of Car Talk, one of Toby’s favorite radio shows.