Philip S. Brown Jr.

A resident of Olympia and a member of St. Michael's parish for 65 years passed away Tuesday June 15th in Providence St. Peter's Hospital of complications from a stroke.

Phil was born October 28, 1925 to Beth (Pillat) Brown and Philip Sidney Brown Sr. in Portland, Oregon. He attended Bellarmine High School in Tacoma, graduated in 1943, and enlisted in the Navy Aviation Cadet Program. He completed his training, received his wings, and was discharged from active duty in 1946 when he moved to Olympia. He met and married Eleanore Lang in Olympia, June 7, 1948. He attended St. Martin's College and was the first engineer graduate with a B.S. in Business Engineering in 1949.

He was hired by the Washington State Department of Highways in 1949 where he held a variety of planning, engineering, and management positions until his retirement in 1980. During that time he also helped manage his father’s restaurant, The Olympia Oyster House, received his Masters of Engineering in Transportation from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1956, and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) in the US Navy Reserves from which he retired in 1966.

Following his retirement from WSDOT he continued his engineering career for another decade with H. W. Lochner and worked on a wide variety of national transportation programs including the Alaska highway system plan.

He was preceded in death by his wife Eleanore of 52 years and is survived by his sisters Madge Hume, Olympia, and Jacqueline Stolberg, Seattle, four children, Philip S. Brown III, Shelton, David J. Brown, Sherwood, OR, Diane M. Caughlan, Vancouver, WA, and Stephanie A. Kincy, Olympia. He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Jason Brown, John Caughlan, Stephen Caughlan, Brian Caughlan, Wallace Brown, Loren Brown, Theresa Brown, and Cheryl Brown.