Gerald Brown

Born in Hays, Kansas, on May 11, 1945, Jerry devoted his life to music, education, family, and storytelling, leaving behind a legacy that stretched from western Kansas to the stages and classrooms of New York City and beyond.

Jerry was the son of Lawrence L. and Mary (Brungardt) Brown and the youngest of eight children. He once remarked that he had 29 first cousins on one side of the family and 36 on the other. Family was never an abstract idea for Jerry; it was a living network of personalities, stories, and relationships that he delighted in remembering and preserving.

Jerry shared his life with his beloved partner, Sam Gale, whose companionship and presence were deeply important to him. Together they shared years of friendship, partnership, and community.

Jerry graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1967 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance. He earned a Master of Music degree in organ performance from University of Michigan and taught at Shenandoah Conservatory. He was an AmSAT certified trainer of the Alexander Technique for more than 20 years.

Music was Jerry's life work. He enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a pianist, organist, vocal coach, conductor, educator, and mentor. For 36 years he worked with New York City Opera, where he served as pianist and a leader within educational programming. In that role, he introduced generations of young people to opera and music. Through school outreach and educational performances, he brought music to students who otherwise might never have encountered the art form.

Jerry served for many years as Director of Music at The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist and was honored with the title of Director of Music Emeritus in recent years. He also served for 25 years as organist and choir director at Metropolitan Synagogue. He served as rehearsal pianist for the New York Philharmonic under conductors including Leonard Bernstein and worked with countless singers, students, and musicians throughout his remarkable career.

Jerry was a gifted family historian and storyteller. He delighted in preserving family memories and could recall people and moments with extraordinary detail, affection, and humor. In Jerry's hands, family stories became performances of their own.

Jerry possessed a wonderfully irreverent sense of humor and a quick wit. He was also a savant at Monopoly. Playing with Jerry virtually guaranteed bankruptcy in under thirty minutes.

He was preceded in death by his parents and beloved siblings: Theresa Brown, Flora Lee Fuchs, Lawrence F. Brown, William Brown, Bette Gragson, Bernard Brown, and Mary Alice Carroll.

He is survived by Sam, loving family members, generations of nieces and nephews, cousins, friends, colleagues, students, and fellow musicians whose lives he enriched through his music, humor, generosity, and presence.

For a man who spent his life helping others appreciate music, Jerry also helped people appreciate and remember one another. His stories, kindness, and unmistakable voice will continue to echo through the family and communities he loved.