Doug Browning Family

Doug Browning, Plains Unit FMO, passed away unexpectedly on September 5, 2022. Doug had been with the DNRC in Plains for 28 years. He is survived by his wife Tara and three young children.

Doug married the love of his life Tara on Sept. 18, 2010. They both had dreams of starting a family and raising them on a piece of land in Plains. The twins Trace and Colt arrived in 2012. Their hands were definitely full, but not as full as their hearts. In 2017, they both welcomed their third and final child, a boy they named Jebediah.

Doug’s commitment to being the most loving father was evident to his children and the entire world. His best role in life was being a father. The Family is asking that if you have any stories of your adventures with Doug to share written accounts with Doug’s boys, as their father was taken way too soon and it would mean so much to preserve those memories for years to come.

Please consider donating to help the Browning family as they face this challenging time.

Doug lived his life doing everything honestly and with passion (not good for poker because when Doug bet, you knew he had a better hand than you). Doug graduated from Plains High School and continued to live in Plains, his one true home.

He loved his country and served in the Montana National Guard as a scout and the Army Reserves as a plumber. Doug had multiple deployments with the 279th Engineer Detachment. Doug’s travels for his country took him to far off lands from Central America to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. During his time in the military, he was looked up to as a mentor by all his peers.

He also was able to help the community build the Trap Club while working weekends in the Army Reserves. He would later be a member of the VFW Trap Team. Doug retired from the Army and went on to help with the VFW 3596 in Plains and became Post Commander from 2007 to 2009.

He also worked long, hard summers on the fire crew for the DNRC, eventually working his way up to Fire Management Officer of the Plains unit. His knowledge of the land and fire was vast and many people sought his expertise in very difficult times.