Julius "Charlie" William Brown Jr.

Charlie was born to Julius and Frieda Brown in Fort Warren, Wyoming on December 28, 1941. As the first of five Army brats, he often helped his mother look after his younger sisters Sharon, Sandra, Clarice, and Debra while his father was away at war. They moved frequently, and Charlie found adventures in Guam, Japan, and several states to include Minnesota, Georgia, and Texas. Charlie developed a passion for engines in his adolescence. When he wasn’t stashing used car parts under his bed, he could be found with his friends turning wrenches on hotrods during the day and racing them on the streets of Hawaii at night. When Charlie graduated from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu in 1961, he followed his father’s footsteps and enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly thereafter.

As a young Soldier, Charlie applied his mechanical/electrical talents and served as a medical equipment repair technician. After attending several advanced schools, Charlie was uniquely positioned to travel as a lone technician to medical facilities in remote locations throughout Europe and the Middle East. Germany was, by far, his favorite posting and Charlie enjoyed regaling his friends and family with tales of his exploits – usually involving beer, brauts, and Bavarian blondes. With his skills sharpened, Charlie’s military service culminated in two consecutive tours to Vietnam with the 44th Medical Command from 1967-1969. Among several lifelong friendships forged during his combat time, perhaps the most pivotal was with his mentor and supervisor Lee Barrett. In 1972 when Charlie decided to fold up his uniform, Lee offered him a job at the VA hospital’s biomedical maintenance shop in Atlanta. In 1974, with Lee’s blessing, Charlie married his boss’s blue-eyed daughter, Susan Mary Barrett, in Decatur, Georgia.

With the love of his life in his arms, Charlie was ready to begin the next chapter of his life. He accepted a position to create a biomedical maintenance capability within the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona and moved there to begin putting down roots. For the next several years, Charlie had two passions in his life – his wife and his motorcycles. During their off time, Charlie and Susan explored the winding highways of the American Southwest on their Harleys, camped frequently within the forested northern Arizona mountains, and attended country music concerts with friends.

By the early 1980s Charlie and Susan were ready to expand their party of two, and by 1987 they were hard at work raising three sons – Stephen, Jeffrey, and Kevin. Charlie was never the same. For the remainder of his life, he was a dedicated family man and took enormous pride in providing for his wife and sons. On the weekends when Charlie wasn’t working on his Harley to the tunes of Willie Nelson, he was teaching his sons to be men. Weekday evenings were committed to Boy Scout projects and little league baseball. Vacations were camping trips. He led by example, imparted his fierce patriotism upon the next generation, and made sure his boys could build a fire in the rain.

In 2013, after a 52-year career in biomedical engineering, Charlie retired to begin the last chapter of his life as a grandfather. In this he found a renewed passion for life, and in his last years Charlie would still find the strength to play on the floor with his grandchildren. Charlie preferred to grill with charcoal, hated getting in the pool, and could scarcely be found without a cigar in his hand. He was happiest when his house was filled with family, but when the grandkids were asleep and it grew quiet, Charlie would come to life with a beer in his hand and a military story on his tongue.

Charlie (Dad) will be remembered as a pillar of stoic strength. He took responsibility, never felt sorry for himself, never complained, and could crack walnuts with his bare hands.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Susan; their children Stephen (Rebecca) Brown, Jeffrey (Maribel) Brown, and Kevin (Jaime) Brown; his seven grandchildren, Kyleigh, Lee, Kara, Sophia, Ryker, Barrett, and Nathan; his sisters Sharon, Sandra, and Clarice; and many nieces, nephews and extended family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The American Cancer Society.