Richard “Dick” Sears Brown, Sr., 101, of Greeley, passed away at North Colorado Medical Center Sunday morning, May 17, 2015, of complications from Alzheimer’s and a fall in his home. He was born January 28, 1914 in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Williams Sears and Myrtle Belle (Fahl) Brown.
A resident of Greeley since 1936, he and his wife (the late Ethel Osthoff Brown) reared five sons in Greeley. He worked for Home, Light, and Power Company (later Public Service/Xcel Energy) until his retirement in 1979. He was active in the Masonic Occidental Lodge #20, for which he held offices including Worshipful Master and was a 33rd degree mason; Eastern Star, for which he held offices including Worthy Patron; and Lions Club, including all offices from treasurer, secretary, president, District Governor, Colorado Council President, Melvin Jones Fellow, and spent many years in the Pierce schools helping students learn to read. After his retirement he worked as a handyman until he was 90 years old. He had also served on several District #6 school board committees, volunteered for Longs Peak Council Boy Scouts of America, was a city councilman, major pro-tem, served on the science project committee for Colorado. He was also a long time member (from 1937) of the First United Methodist Church in Greeley, serving on nearly all of its boards and committees multiple times.
Richard was reared in the mountains 17 miles southeast of Eagle, Colorado, as his father was an early hire for the U.S. Forest Service and served as a forest ranger from 1919 until his retirement in 1945. During his youth, Richard and his brothers used to run up a trail for six miles to a 12,000 foot elevation and then race back to the ranger station, run a mile up the side of a mountain to a cave to get ice for their ice box, learn to swim by swamping a raft in a beaver pond then making their way back to shore. When he was about 13, he started working on building or improving mountain trails (following after his father), doing so for about ten years. The adventures for the five boys were endless, and their life-long great physical condition attests to this lifestyle.
In 1930, the family moved to Boulder, Colorado, for the better education they would receive. He graduated from high school at the Boulder Preparatory School (called state prep by the students and the precursor to the Boulder High School) in 1933 and attended the University of Colorado for one years and Colorado A&M College (CSU) for one year. He married the love of his life, Ethel Darlene Osthoff, in 1935.
Richard is survived by sons, Richards Sears, Jr., George William, Wayne Steven (Alyce) and Randall Gilbert (Roberta), 12 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Ethel, his son, David Forney, his grandson, Daniel Ray, daughters-in-law, Mitzi, Rosalie, Beverly and Jane.
Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 22, 2015 at the First United Methodist Church, 1000 10th Street, Greeley.
Donations can be made to the Greeley Noon Lions Club or the First United Methodist Church in care of Stoddard Funeral Home, 3205 West 28th Street, Greeley, Colorado, in memory of Richard Sears Brown, Sr.
Please visit www.stoddardsunset.com to sign an online guestbook.
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