He was the last of six children born to Simeon and Blanche Brown. His sisters: Beatrice (Sis Vivi), Hortense (Ms. Winnie), Lillieth (Aunt Dor), and Kathleen and one brother, Bernard (son son) all predeceased him. At the tender age of one, Roy lost his father and by the age of 25, had lost his mother.
Roy attended the Cassava River Primary School in Glengoffe and then later the Glengoffe High School where he studied under the tutelage of Teacher Little and Principal Pine.
As a young man, Roy took pride in his work. He was intelligent, industrious, dedicated, hardworking, and ensured that everything he did was done to the best of his ability. Roy was a farmer, a carpenter, and a photographer. He was meticulous and took great pride in everything that he did.
Sometime prior to June 1959, Roy met a young, beautiful, and sweet lady from the neighboring district of Mt. Industry and started to woo her. They were married on June 28th, 1959. The union produced six children. They settled in Cassava River, Glengoffe close to Roy’s extended family where they built a life together and cared for the family. They were active members of the Glengoffe Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Roy was fortunate to be called in the 1960s to travel to the United States on several occasions as a farm worker. In that era, that was a big deal.
Roy had a thirst for knowledge and could be found always reading, whether it was the Bible or newspaper to keep abreast of current affairs. He would always jot down quotations and poems on pieces of paper that could be found around the house. From a young age, Roy lived by the proverb: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”.
In 1973, Roy officially migrated to the United States, joining his wife who had already settled in the Bronx, New York. Roy found employment as a machine operator at Eastern Rolling Mills until his retirement in 1994. He was very respected for his hard work by the owners Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft who kept in touch with him well after his retirement.
Roy was an active and devout member of the North Bronx Seventh-Day Adventist Church where he served as a Deacon and Sabbath School Teacher. One of Roy’s favorite yearly activities in New York was to attend camp Berkshire with his family and church family during the summer.
In the summer of 1995, Roy and his wife Cynthia retired to Palm Bay, Florida. They met many new friends and connected with old friends. In Palm Bay, they attended and made the Palm Bay Seventh-Day Adventist Church their church home. On Sabbath mornings, Roy could be found sitting in his favorite seat bright and early and was an active participant in the Sabbath school class. Friday night worship experience was the favorite part of Roy’s week. He would belt out his favorite songs then play his records on the record player. Two of his favorite artists were Anita Bryant and Jim Reeves.
Roy enjoyed working in his garden, taking care of his many fruit trees, cutting his lawn as well as planting and cutting lawn for others. He always kept busy- there was always something to do.
Though not perfect, he was funny, had the most unusual way of meeting people and naming them something completely different from their usual names. Public speaking was what he loved and he did not mind getting up at functions to speak. You can guarantee that at his children’s weddings there was a speech ready and man did he deliver.
On November 15th at sunset, with his beloved Cynthia and friend Joyce Copeland by his side, God in his wisdom and mercy sealed Roy for eternity. Left to mourn his loss are wife Cynthia; sons: Orville, Junior (Annmarie), Stenneth (Joyce), Dale (Michelle), and Valone; daughters: Janice (Glasford), Donna (Paul), Evelyn, and Sheryl (Renaldo); 28 grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and a host of extended family and dear friends.
We hold onto the promise that when Christ returns, we shall be with Roy and shall never to part again.
