Keith Brown

Raymond Keith Brown, 93, a 23-year resident of San Marcos, died August 26, 2024, at home with his daughters, grandchildren, and other family members nearby. He was called Keith by all who knew him. Though many people were amazed by his independence at his age, there was no other way for him except to be on the move, curious about the world, and charismatic with others, and as proof, he had recently renewed his driver’s license just a few months before his passing.

Just as he died at home, Keith was born at home May 29, 1931, in Woodstown, New Jersey, the youngest of five children of Lillian and Sherwin Brown. As Keith grew up on a farm in New Jersey, he developed a deep respect and love for animals. This is also where he was nurtured by “his greatest fan of all time”, his grandmother, Baba, a kind and creative woman who loved him unconditionally and instilled in him a love of games and storytelling. He graduated from high school and briefly attended Baylor University in Texas before following in both brothers’ footsteps when he joined the U. S. Navy at the age of 19.

While visiting his sister in Houston, Texas, during a leave from his Navy post, Keith met the love of his life, Dorothy (Dot) Woodring, and after a four month period of courting, where he flew in monthly to get to know Dot better, there was no denying they had met their matches. They married in 1951 in his hometown of Woodstown and honeymooned on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in Kitty Hawk.

Keith and Dot lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia, while he was stationed in the Navy. After leaving the Navy, the young couple with now a plus one, Kathleen, moved to Houston, where they raised all three of their children, Kathleen, Eileen, and Kenton. While working, Keith attended and graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in business, after which he continued to share his fondness for the university by being a Cougars basketball season ticket-holder for 30 years, taking many friends and family with him to share in his excitement and support for the team he loved.

Keith went on to enjoy a successful career as a mortgage banker, where he worked up the ranks to become a CEO at Mortgage & Trust and later opened his own mortgage company.

After retirement, he and Dot moved to Salida, Colorado, their favorite place to camp and vacation. With Keith’s personality, love of conversation, and inquisitive spirit, they quickly became an integral part of the community and Presbyterian church. He once again gravitated toward the housing market by working as a real estate agent. Retirement needed to be a social affair for “Mr. Brown.”

Their love of travel took them all over Europe and then to both New Zealand and Australia. After that, they bought an RV and traveled all over the US, exploring, hiking, and enjoying their time together each day with food, family, and Scrabble games.

When Dot became ill with cancer in 2001, grandson, Mark, and Eileen’s family helped to pack up and move them to San Marcos to be nearer to their children and family. As a widower, Keith pursued many interests. He was a history buff, loved spending time with his large family, and was an active member and deacon of the First Presbyterian Church in San Marcos. An avid reader and lover of books, Keith was a regular patron at the San Marcos Public Library, where he indulged in an eclectic variety of genres, with a fondness for history focused on World War II, as well as biographies, mysteries and romance novels. He also was interested in World War I history because of his father’s time in Grappa, Italian Alps, driving ambulances with Hemingway.

Keith was a gregarious man who loved interacting with people and learning as much as he could about anyone with whom he came into contact. Even more, he maintained these relationships by actively keeping in contact in person, through written correspondence, and phone calls. His passions included experiences with the world and people through travel, sports, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, beating the players on Jeopardy daily, and all manner of board, card, and strategic games. He loved to entertain himself and his children with stories and hours of gameplay. Later, he shared that enjoyment with his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. He was extremely sensitive to others and always tried to think of ways to help friends and family members to make their lives easier. To his core, he was a family man, an active father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather. He will long be remembered for his great sense of humor, love of music, big band 40s style, showtunes, and could often be heard singing along in his booming voice.

He was predeceased by Dot in 2003 and son, Kenton, in 2012. Sister, Patricia and brothers, Sherwin and James (nephews: Brad and Bruce). And also, son-in-law, Mark Westerman.

He is survived by: daughter Kathy (Daniel); Eileen (Mark W.); daughter-in-law Gabriele; grandchildren Mark, Ami (Jon), Analiza, Keith, Dominik, Kiff, Crystal (Sean); great-grandchildren Sam (Ashley), Ben, Max, Carla (Hailey), Ema, Shae; great-great-grandchildren Jude, Arya, Sailor, Éowyn, Oliver, Soleil; Niece: Caroline (Tom); Nephews: Mark (Molly), Win (Kathy), and Cam.

A visitation for Keith will be held Saturday, September 7, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Brookside Funeral Home, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039. A committal service will occur Saturday, September 7, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039. A funeral service will occur Saturday, September 7, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, 13747 Eastex Freeway, Houston, TX 77039.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sept. 14 at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in San Marcos.