Daria (Dee) Aronow Thompson Brown, 72, of Neptune Beach passed away at home with family on June 22, 2020. She never quit celebrating life, spending time with family, sharing books with long lasting book clubs and longer lasting friends, ballroom dancing, Rational Hedonist happy hours, and UUC gatherings. She was deeply loved by many and will be sorely missed.
Daria is survived by her dearly loved partner, Carl Moody; two sons, David Thompson (Suzanne) and Jeffrey Brown; three granddaughters, Hannah, Jessica, and Jenna Thompson; one great-granddaughter, Jade Knight; sister, Sonia Aronow of Annandale, VA; two brothers, Rick Aronow (Sue) of Jacksonville, FL, and Walt Aronow (JoAnn) of Dallas, TX; two nieces, Clare Aronow and Laura Aronow; four nephews, Nicholas Aronow, Zachary, Michael and Alex Aronow. She also leaves behind many cherished friends, sharing decades of memories and endless love.
Earning two master’s degrees, Daria dedicated 38 years to public service with the DCPS. Beginning her career with Fletcher Jr. High in 1971, she then taught at Fletcher High until 1984. Whip smart and an easy rapport with students made her a popular teacher; she taught a variety of subjects including government, economics, anthropology, human relations, and psychology. In 1984 she transferred to Mayport Middle School as a guidance counselor where she remained until 2009. Daria never stopped believing in the power that education had to transform lives. She knew, lived by, and further taught that to understand history is to learn more about the lives and experiences of others, and it is through this that we develop a deeper empathy and ability to act in caring ways to make the world a better place.
After retiring she loved to travel, exploring abroad with her sister and friends, visiting Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Lisbon, Barcelona and Madrid. She lived life for the questions, not the answers. She found magic in seemingly chance moments and encounters that led to the paths which made up her life. She loved the worlds and experiences lent to us through books, film, music, and art. She kept the priceless and antiquated tradition of writing letters to her family and friends – the part of her heart she leaves behind for us to keep.
A graveside service will be held for immediate family, and a Celebration of Life will be planned for a later date. Since all of Daria’s loved ones cannot be together right now, we offer you her words in place: “In my own mind, I have had a charmed, fulfilling and meaningful life. It was all of those things and more because of the loving and deep connections I had with so many people. I think to myself that I must have done some-thing right with my life to have so many people sending me support, and I am grateful to each and every one of you.”
