Carlton Freeman Brown was born April 17, 1946 in Ainsworth, Nebraska to Marion Freeman Brown and Pauline Olivia Caldwell. At age two the family moved to Omaha where Carlton grew-up with five sisters and five brothers. He attended kindergarten through 8th grade at Comenius Elementary and High School at South High where he pole vaulted and ran. He shoe shined in the downtown and worked at a pet shop, where he learned to love animals. At 18 he attended York College, a two year college, in York, Nebraska. Following this he transferred to Oklahoma Christian Collage in Oklahoma City. If you went to visit Carlton you would have to ask for Tarzan, a nickname that stayed with him for years. He performed in drama productions and continued to run.
During his senior year he went into the Army where he became an MP at Presidio in San Francisco. Upon leaving the military he became a firefighter/police officer for the City of Foster City, CA and eventually accepted a position as a police officer/crime analyst for the City of San Mateo, CA where he worked for 34 years. During this time he began being known by the name C. B. He completed his BA at Notre Dame in Belmont, CA with a double degree in History and Sociology. He also completed some graduate work at Norte Dame.
Carlton lived in San Mateo and raised twin boys, Jake and Shane. He later met and married his partner in adventure Wendé and eventually moved to Carlsbad, CA and then retired to Bee Cave, TX. His grand children, who brought him lots of joy affectionately named him Boo and he will always be our Boo.
Carlton loved to read, travel, collect art, play fantasy football, listen to music, attend concerts and the performing arts, stay physically active, play tennis, have as much ice as possible (sometimes just to munch on), do taxes, and most of all loved family and life. He taught us all how not to take life so seriously, how to appreciate the simple things, how to laugh at yourself and the weirdness around you, how to find joy everyday, and mostly how to love life.
Here are some of the adventures of Carlton and Wendé in no certain order:
• Climbed Diamond Head in Hawaii
• Rode camels in the Sahara Desert in Egypt
• Soared in a Glider over Palomar Mountain
• Went in a hot air ballon along the Pacific Coast
• Took a helicopter over the Grand Canyon
• Flew over the glaciers in Alaska
• Looked for Nessie in Scotland
• Stood on two continents in Iceland
• Swam in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland
• Visited Jesus’ birth place in Jerusalem
• Canoed to and visited indigenous people in the rain forest in Panama
• Floated in the Dead Sea in Israel
• Zip lined in the rain forest in Costa Rica
• Went to the Treasurer in Petra, Jordan
• Toasted a drink at the top of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
• Toured the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Masque in Istanbul, Turkey
• Climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Stood before David in Florence
• Ran on the very first olympic field in Greece
• Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
• Toured the Murano glass factory in Italy
• Kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland
• Sailed the Neva River in Russia
• Crossed from the Pacific to the Atlantic in the Panama Canal
• Rode on a Gondala in Venice, Italy
• Ate at the Sardi’s Restaurant in Broadway
• Visited McBeth’s Castle in Denmark
• Saw the largest Dala Horse in Stockholm
• Toured Viking burial grounds in Norway
• Rode the London Eye and Singapore Flyer
• Took the Flying Scotsman from Edinburgh to London
• Minded the Gap in the London Tube
• Climbed the Eiffel Tower and Norte Dame in Paris
• Explored the ice mountains in Austria
• Crossed the Irish Sea
• Strolled across the Kapellbrucke Bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland
• Had the Dude’s favorite drink at Lebowski Bar in Reykjavik, Iceland
• Walked the streets of Hong Kong
• Visited Buddhist Temples in Vietnam
• Awed at the sights of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican
• Strolled the streets of Pompeii
• Crossed the English Channel
• Climbed the mini Eiffel Tower in Budapest, Hungry
• Saw the dancing building in the Prague, Czech Republic
• Visited Montserrat Monastery in Spain and listened to the angelic boys choir
• Sailed passed the Rock of Gibraltar
• Ate the best eclairs ever in Monaco
• Experienced the heritage of our grandchildren in the Azores
• Stood over the birthplace of the Titanic in Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Drank at Guiness at Temple Bat in Dublin, Ireland
• Explored the beauty of Banff, Canada
• Visited Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam
• Toured Checkpoint Charley in Berlin, Germany
• Visited the Atomium in Belgium
• Saw the birthplace of Aphrodite in Cyprus
• Visited Schindler’s Factory in Krakow, Poland
• Stood over the crater of Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua
• Explored the gothic city Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Found a blue apple in Tallinn, Estonia
• Ate fabulous pastries in Luxembourg
• Was interviewed by a magazine reported in Helsinki, Finland
• Toured the underground caves in Bermuda
• Sailed across the Atlantic twice
• Loved life and each other to the fullest
Carlton passed away in his wife’s arms in Austin, Texas on May 10, 2022. He is preceded by his parents Pauline and Freeman Brown and survived by his wife Wendé Clark Protzman; children Jake Donner Brown, Shane Taylor Brown, Amber Clark Protzman-Palmer, Ian Walter Protzman-Palmer, Hunter Stevens Protzman-Palmer; grand children Ridley Mae Brown, Zane Fitzgerald Palmer, Vaughn Joseph Palmer, Harper Marie Palmer, London Elizabeth Palmer; siblings Raymond Paul Brown, Karleen Joy Price, Diana Lynn Dulaney, Russell Leonard (Buster) Brown, Raylene Faye Ellis, Susan Rhea Brown, James Dale Brown, Karen Kay BrownSmith, Gregory Wayne Brown, Sterling David Brown; and many other family members and loved ones. Carlton is the oldest in the family and all ten of his siblings agree he is the best big brother anyone could ever have.
You will be missed in a way that can’t be put into words. Thank you for the joy you brought us. We all love you Carlton. A Memorial Service will be held at Carlton and Wende's home on June 5, 2022 from 2-4 PM. A pending service will be held in Omaha, NE at a later date.
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