Robert "Bobby" Brown

Robert (Bobby or Bob) Gene Brown, 84, of Houston, Texas, passed away Friday, December 21, 2018. He was born in New Orleans on September 3, 1934, to Robert Lee Brown and Bessie Tubbs Brown Brazzell while his father was working offshore for Humble. At age 4, his family moved back to the Houston area. The family lived in the Humble camp, near the Ellington Air Field, till the death of his father. His mother purchased a grocery store in the Denver Harbor area of Houston. Bobby worked for his mom while attending high school and college. He did many jobs in the store such as stocker and meat butcher. Bobby graduated from Pasadena High School in 1952 after which he attended Rice University, then University of Houston, graduating in 1957 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, he accepted a position with General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas, where he worked as a Thermal Designer for the S4B Booster that lifted Apollo into orbit. While living in Fort Worth, Bobby attended post-graduate classes at SMU and TCU. He moved his family back to Houston when he accepted a position at Johnson Space Center (JSC). He spent 37 years in the Thermal design area at JSC working on a succession of missions: the Mercury, Gemini, Saturn, Apollo, Skylab Soyuz, and Shuttle programs; as well as on both the Mir and the International Space Station (ISS). For his work, Bobby was honored with an induction into the Space Hall of Fame. Once he retired from government service, he worked on his golf game, playing multiple days a week with his JSC golfing friends. He later decided to take a thermal position with the Boeing Corporation to support the ISS. He retired from Boeing after 10 years of service.

Bobby is preceded in death by his parents Robert Lee and Bessie Tubbs Brown, older brother Charles Brown, and nephew Paul Brown.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Floy May (Roberds) Brown (married April 6, 1957), his two sons Kenneth Lee Brown and wife Andrea Brown, and Steven Gene Brown, his younger brother Billy Brown and wife Gail Brown, and sister-in-law Jimmie Brown. Additionally, he is survived by 4 grandchildren Addison Taylor Brown and wife Blair Brown, Avery Lauren Taylor and husband Will Taylor, Kayla Leigh Brown and Collin David Brown and 4 great-grandchildren. He also has many nephews and nieces along with their families.

While working for Johnson Space Center, Bobby enjoyed his travels in support of the Space Program to Rome, London, Russia, Japan, and Florida. He also enjoyed travels to New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.

Bobby was a sports enthusiast and enjoyed sports of all kinds including baseball, fast pitch softball, football, fishing, water skiing, golfing and snow skiing. His favorite golf course to play was Tour 18 in the Woodlands; but he mostly played the Clear Lake and Beacon Lakes courses. He learned to snow ski at the age of 50! He loved skiing with his work buddies and family in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado at the Beaver Creek and Monarch Resorts. One of his favorite things to do was put on his “Cougar red” and attend UH football games with family, especially his grandkids.

Bob was a longtime member of First Baptist Church of South Houston. Over the years he served his Lord and church in many ways, from helping in activities to preparing meals for church families who were bereaved. He did the church’s financial books many years. He was known for his special cookies and little pecan pies that church members loved and cherished receiving, as well as bidding on in fundraisers.

Donations In Bobby’s memory can be made to the Capital Improvement Fund at First Baptist Church of South Houston. The Church address is 315 Georgia Street, South Houston, Tx 77578.