Oran K. Brown

Social worker, church and social activist

Oran was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1917 and as an infant moved to Manhattan where he grew up. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He enlisted in the Army after graduation during WW2 and served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He reentered the Army for the Korean War and was stationed in Japan.

He was employed by the NYC Department of social services as a social worker working for 31 years before retiring as a supervisor in the Nursing Home Division. After retirement he became a volunteer at the USPH hospital in Clifton which became Bayley Seton Hospital for over 20 years.

Oran was a Christian who felt you should live your life by your faith. He spent most of his life trying to help people less fortunate than himself as he felt Christ would have wanted. He was an active member of several Methodist churches and in the latter years was a member of Olivet Presbyterian Church.

Oran met and married his wife Jean in 1948 and the celebrated over 60 years together before her passing in 2009. They were kindred spirits who were involved in many church and political activities together. Oran attended Martin Luther King’s march on Washington in 1963, he was active in Staten Island’s Fair Housing Council, National Organization for Women, Veterans for Peace, the Methodist Federation for Social Action, the Staten Island Democratic Association and many other Peace and human Rights organizations. He was an active volunteer for many years at Project Hospitality.

Oran was a life long Yankees fan and enjoyed many types of sports watching baseball, basketball, tennis and golf.

Oran moved to Staten Island in 1962 with his wife and two children, Larry and Elizabeth wanting to provide his children with a home rather than the apartment he and Jean had shared.

He was predeceased by his wife Jean in 2009 and survived by his children Larry and Elizabeth, 4 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer that donations be made to Project Hospitality, www.projecthospitality.org in Oran’s name