Carl Edward Brown

Carl Brown, born December 20, 1955, passed away on January 22, 2026, at the age of 70. He was born in Lake Orion, Michigan, and passed in Lansing, Michigan, leaving behind a life rich with love, laughter, curiosity, and quiet strength.

Carl had a great sense of humor and an easy way of finding joy in everyday moments. He spent 24 years with his wife, Deb, laughing often and building a life full of shared adventures and stories. Carl was a deeply loving and devoted husband, and together he and Deb built a life rooted in companionship, loyalty, and mutual care. They enjoyed going to the movies, trying new places to eat, traveling, and spending long weekends at the cottage, simply being together and experiencing life side by side. Carl would do anything for Deb and loved her dearly; their partnership was one of his greatest joys.

He was a man who genuinely enjoyed life, especially when it involved the outdoors, his family, or a good project to tinker with. Carl was deeply connected to nature and felt most at peace outside. He loved hunting, fishing, camping, gardening, and simply being among the trees and wildlife. He had a special affection for animals of all kinds, from faithfully filling bird feeders and watching Sandhill crane families return year after year, to caring for a feral cat by building it a warm shelter with a heated pad. Nature wasn’t just something he enjoyed, it was something he respected and lived in harmony with.

Carl had a natural gift for mechanics and invention. He loved taking things apart and figuring out how to make them better, often creating his own solutions along the way, sometimes involving a mysterious missing “thing-a-majig.” Whether it was tearing down and rebuilding his motorcycle, designing a massive homemade bug catcher that impressed neighbors, or proving skeptics wrong by catching walleye where they were told none existed, Carl was endlessly curious and determined. He never saw obstacles, only challenges worth solving.

That same ingenuity showed up at home and at the cottage. From welding a plow onto the front of a Honda Pilot to clear a steep winter hill, to rigging electric winches to make life easier and safer, Carl had a knack for taking care of things and people. His hands were rarely still, always fixing, improving, or maintaining what mattered most. For over 36 years, Carl worked on the line at General Motors. He was proud of his work ethic and knew when it was time to listen to his body and retire. Even then, he remained active, working out, chopping and stacking wood for his stove, and staying strong and determined until the very end.

Above all, Carl was an incredible father. He shared his love of the outdoors with his children through hunting trips, fishing days, camping adventures, and snowmobiling across Michigan and memorably through the Upper Peninsula. Winter rides through quiet, snow-covered woods were some of his favorite moments, serene, peaceful, and full of wonder. In warmer months, he loved going for bike rides, looking up at the trees and watching sunlight filter through the leaves.

Carl was also a teacher in the truest sense. He passed down invaluable life skills, especially his mechanical knowledge. Teaching his children how to maintain their vehicles and care for snowmobiles, boats, wave runners, dirt bikes, and motorcycles. He always made sure their cars were in top shape before they left his house, a simple but powerful way he showed love. His family carries forward not just memories, but confidence and capability because of him.

He was a devoted and playful grandfather to Oscar, Penelope, Lilia, and Landon. Whether pushing them on the swing set or showing them around the backyard, he found joy in their curiosity and laughter. Being “Grandpa” was a role he wore with pride and gentleness.

Carl loved to travel and experience the world. He and Deb shared many adventures, including a special trip to Alaska, where his love of gold mining history came alive while visiting original mining towns. He also enjoyed snorkeling in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. One of his greatest joys was taking his entire family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hawaii. Memories that continue to be cherished.

A month before his passing, Carl was surrounded by love and laughter as his family surprised him with a birthday celebration for his 70th year. That gathering filled with joy, togetherness, and the people he loved most became a final, beautiful memory for his family and a reflection of the life he lived.

Carl is survived by his wife, Deb Drew Brown; his children, Calvin Brown and wife Rachel Brown, Clifton Brown and wife Megan Brown, and Carissa (Leilani) Caporossi and husband Lance Caporossi, and their children Lilia and Landon. He is also survived by Deb’s children, Drew Colthorp and wife Jessalyn Richter and their children Oscar and Penelope, and Ryan Colthorp. He is further survived by his four sisters and their spouses, his brother and spouse, and many nieces and nephews.

Carl was a man who made memories, built solutions, shared knowledge freely, and loved deeply. He passed surrounded by love, near and far. Though he will be missed beyond words, his legacy lives on in the skills he taught, the places he explored, the family he cherished, and the countless moments that will live on through those who loved him.