Clarence J Brown

PEKIN ~ Clarence Jay “Sarge” Brown, 88, of St. Petersburg, FL, passed away at 10:55 a.m. Sunday, September 29, 2013 at Bon Secours Maria Manor in St. Petersburg, FL. He lived in Pekin from 1953 through 2011.

Born June 2, 1925 in Peoria to Clarence H. and Margaret J. (Maple) Brown, he married Frances Pezan. He later married Phyllis Ruth Archer on August 11, 1973 in Decatur. She died December 15, 2010 in Pekin. He was also preceded in death by his parents; one infant son; one grandson, Scott McClure; one brother, Ronald Brown; one sister, Marjorie Livingston; and daughter-in-law, Christina Brown.

Surviving are three sons, Michael Brown of St. Petersburg, FL, Clarence Jay Brown, Jr. of Kensington, MD, and Matthew (Suzana) Brown of Laguna Beach, CA; one daughter, Suzie (Erik) Steen of Sydney, Australia; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

He entered the US Marine Corps in 1942 and completed basic training at Paris Island, NC. He later trained at San Antonio, TX and became an aircraft mechanic for Corsair fighter planes. He served as a sergeant until the end of WWII in 1945. He was stationed in San Diego, CA before being deployed on the aircraft carrier USS Shangri La in the Pacific.

Known as “Brownie”, Sarge had worked at Pekin Machine and Parts Company for 30 years, retiring in 1984 as an automotive machinist.

He was a member of First United Methodist Church in Pekin. He was a former member of the North Pekin Village Board.

An avid goose hunter, fisherman and bee keeper, he was a member of the Peoria Sportsman Club at Spring Lake. Sarge also enjoyed model airplanes and gardening, including being the first person to transplant banana trees in Pekin, many of which still line the street where he lived.

His funeral will be at 10 a.m., Friday, October 4, 2013 at First United Methodist Church in Pekin. The Rev. Judy Doyle will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin and from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. Friday at the church. Entombment will be in Resurrection Mausoleum in Peoria where military rites will be accorded.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com