Albert Jean Brown

Jean, as everyone knew him, was born to Lovel and Minnie Brown in Emporia, Kansas. He was raised on a farm in Matfield Green, Kansas with his siblings Jim, Joanne and Jay Dee. These memories he cherished long after Alzheimer’s Disease caused others to fade.

In 1950, the family lost their home to a lightning strike and they moved to, Ridgway, CO. Jean graduated from Ridgway HIgh School where he excelled in athletics. In 1960, he married his high school sweetheart Jeannine Wilson.

Through the next decades Jean’s strong work ethic provided for his family of three active boys, Jeff, Jerry and Jim. Jean worked for the Colorado State Highway Department widening Red Mountain Pass in the summer and plowing snow in the winter. He was elected Ouray County Sheriff and managed ranches in the Ridgway area. He loved ranching, tending cattle and breaking and training horses. He excelled at team roping, teaching his sons and other boys how to rope. He loved pack trips in the mountains, hunting and fishing. In later years, he loved playing a game of pool with his buddies.

In 1982, the family relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado there they enjoyed many trail rides over the mesas. He worked for Mesa County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy, managed the county fairgrounds and was a heavy equipment operator for the road department.

After retirement, Jean and Jeannie fulfilled their dream of RV travel from Alaska to Mexico. They joined RV’s on a Mission volunteering their many skills at missions, churches and church camps, often on the Indian Reservations.

Jean’s lifetime mission, that he never retired from was his service to Christ. He served at the Ridgway Community Church and the Nazarene Church in Grand Junction. He loved the old hymns and would sing and play his harmonica in worship. He leaves behind his legacy of integrity, faithfulness, and hard work to his family.

In 2024, Jean and Jeannie moved to Texas to be near their son Jim and his family to help in his final journey of Alzheimer’s . He became ever closer to God, maintaining his sweet, gentle personality. He greeted everyone with a big smile even if he wasn’t sure who they were.

Jean is blessed to be survived by his beautiful family, his wife of 65 years, Jeannine; his children, Jeff and Twila of Olathe, Colorado, Jerry and Laurie of Cave Creek, Arizona, and James and Andrea of Waxahachie, Texas, six grandchildren, six great grandchildren, nieces and nephews and many lifelong friends.

Well done good and faithful servant the cattle on a thousand hills awaits you. A memorial service for Jean will be held at the Nazarene Church on 2802 Patterson Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81506 at 10:00 AM