Robert William Brown

Robert William Brown came into this world on September 30, 1928 in Portland, Oregon. He was the eighth of eleven children born to John & Marie Brown. He left us on January 16, 2012 to join his best friend, love, and soul mate Leonore, surrounded by his loving family and friends.

Bob led a great childhood with his many siblings and friends, some of which he kept to the end. When he could he would join the gang on Thursday nights at the Canton Chinese Restaurant. Even though he didn’t like Chinese food, he still enjoyed the friendship. Bob went to Marysville Grade School and graduated with a GED from Benson High School.

After spending time with the Army in Italy working in the Motorpool & Military Police at the end of WWII, he returned home to resume his life. After a car accident on Foster Road in 1950 that sent him to Providence Hospital, he met a beautiful nursing student who had come into help a classmate give him a painful shot. When Bob informed them they left the needle behind in his butt that was all it took. He courted that farmer’s daughter who wanted to be a nurse until he caught her. They were best friends, lovers, and soul mates, and married in 1951. They soon added four children to their family and lost one at birth.

Family was the most important thing in his life with free time often spent with his siblings & their families on many adventures, such as water skiing, go-kart racing, motorcross racing, or just staying at home by the pool and bar-b-que. He also spent time with his wife’s family on the farm. He learned to be a farmer quickly. Although after a year of planting broccoli it was never allowed in the house and was an on-going joke of trying to get him to eat it.

Bob had several jobs in his life. He worked with Joe Zimmerman in his garage after returning from the Army. He later started driving truck for Cal-Roofing delivering roofing supplies in Portland area then later driving tractor-trailer to deliver up & down the West Coast which kept him away from home more. He later became the Warehouseman when EPI bought out Cal-Roofing and retired early with a bad back.

Bob had many hobbies: hunting, fishing; he owned and raced quarter midgets when he was younger but stopped racing once the kids came along. He was a big fan of Indy & Nascar racing. He also became an avid reader. His favorite hobby began in the 70’s when he and Lee bought a fishing boat and a travel trailer that they kept at Garibaldi. This is where they spent all their free time trying to catch those big fish over the Tillamook Bar. This is also where his children and grandchildren all spent their time fishing. It was a sad day when he had to give these up for health reasons.

After losing his beloved Lee in 1997, he was at a loss for a while. Once the great grandchildren started coming along, he had more to do and even took a couple of trips to Arizona with his siblings.

Bob is survived by his daughters Chris, Toni and husband Alan; sons Larry Brown and wife Cathy, and Tom Brown; grandchildren Sara, Robert, Joshua, Shaun, Jacob, Lonie, Travis & Julia; great grandchildren Jacob, Joiya, Kyle, Dakota, & Logyn; and siblings Chuck Brown, Richard Brown, Dolly Lanxon, & Barbara Muhoberac.

Bob will be deeply missed by all his family and friends. Donations may be made to either Doernbecher Children’s Hospital or the American Cancer Society.