By John T. Ryan
Peru – Doug Brown’s family, friends, and local community gave him a great treat this afternoon. They asked him to take a seat outside Peru Hardware, the store he operated for 40 years, to watch a parade go by. It was a surprise for him to learn the parade was in celebration of his December 31st birthday when he will turn 100 years of age. The Peru Fire Department led the parade, followed by the North Country Red, White and Blue, the Peru Lions Club, the North Country Honor Flight, the Champlain Valley Woodcarvers, the Keeseville Elks Club, several motorcycles and many friends.
Peru area residents know Doug as the man who, along with his late wife Helen, owned and operated Peru Hardware for just under 40 years before turning the business over to their daughter Wendy and her husband Bob Silverman in 1985. Other people know Doug as the rural mail carrier who delivered mail to them from 1953 to 1980.
A World War II Veteran, Doug Brown served as a mechanic in the Army Air Corps 33rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron attached to the 9th Air Force. His unit participated in many major battles on the Western Front, including the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. It was one of the first Allied air units to operate on German soil. In June 2013, he was honored to participate in the North Country Honor Flight and visit the WWII Memorial in Washington DC.
Doug still lives on the River Road in a home that he built and where he and his wife Helen raised daughters Gail, Wendy and Rona. He enjoyed go-cart racing, boating, his Lake Champlain camp, bowling, square dancing, and RV’ing over the years. He still enjoys spending time with his granddaughters Courtney and Ellen, woodcarving, playing cards, and playing golf. Though Doug didn’t begin playing golf until after he retired, he’s had two holes-in-one. Today he said, “I only played golf three times this year.” Not bad at age 99. 
