Will Olan Brimberry 

1951-2022

Will Olan Brimberry died with courage on November 7, 2022, in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Will was born March 27, 1951 at Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico to Elizabeth Kempton Brimberry and Colonel Will Olan Brimberry, senior, United States Air Force. . 

Will was a graduate of Woodward Academy of College Park, Georgia (high school) and a graduate of the University of Maryland of College Park,Maryland. Will remained an active alumnus of the University of Maryland and Sigma Nu Fraternity.

Upon graduation from the University of Maryland, Will served four years with the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. 

Will spent most of his professional career working with the federal government.  In 2004 he joined the Program Office of the Department of Interior’s Office of the Secretary, where he served until his retirement. Will was an expert in information technology and portfolio management and was renowned as a “legend” among his professional colleagues for both his broad management knowledge and passion for his work.  He was widely recognized as an accomplished leader, program manager, civil servant, and team member.  His visionary perspective for both new and existing program development and support was exemplary.  As a Program Manager he developed new programs and provided project management guidance and direction for the entire Department. Near the end of his career, Will served as the Program Manager for an interagency effort to develop government-wide procedures for managing controlled unclassified information (CUI) where his keen knowledge and insight resulted in seminal impactful results.  His program approach and engagement with other cabinet-level agencies and bureaus was both innovative and groundbreaking.  His work resulted in agreement by every participating agency with endorsement and government-wide distribution by the program’s Executive Agent.

Will volunteered to lay Christmas wreaths and Memorial Day flags on the graves at Arlington Cemetery. Will organized local muscular sclerosis bicycle donor drives. He participated in the Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, D.C., the National Cathedral Men’s Bible Study, the Blue Church of Falls Church, Virginia, and the Key West United Methodist Church of Key West, Florida. 

Will was an avid outdoorsman who climbed Mount Whitney solo and enjoyed horseback trips in the mountains of Gila National Park in New Mexico. Will was an experienced scuba diver and an exceptional athlete in all summer and winter sports. Will appreciated every genre of music and dance. Will was an avid dancer, joining friends at local venues and traveling to the Zydeco Festival at Buffalo Gap in West Virginia.

Will was predeceased by his parents Elizabeth Kempton Brimberry and Colonel Will Olan Brimberry, senior, United States Air Force, and his sister Susan Ann Brimberry Katzberg. 

Will is survived by Janice Lee White (Richard), his sister of California, and Carolyn Brimberry Smith (Bruce), his sister of Vermont. Will is beloved by his five nieces, three nephews, cousins and many loyal friends.

The family is deeply grateful to Nancy Ann Dawson, M.D., Hematology and Oncology, Washington, D.C., and Serwaah, Will’s devoted caregiver.

The memorial service took place at the University of Maryland Memorial Chapel on Saturday, January 7, 2023, 11:30 in the morning.