Leo R. Brown

On Sunday July 9th Leo Brown passed away peacefully after a long and very tough fight with chronic heart disease. He accomplished a lot in his 73 years and leaves behind a wonderful legacy. Leo was a man of many talents and many loves. His three greatest loves being his family and beloved wife Sue, music and cars.

Born in Lexington, OH March 12, 1950 Leo moved to College Point, NY in 1960. It was in NY that Leo started his musical career, playing and singing in bands in friends’ basements and garages. That is how he met his bride Sue, who says she fell in love with his voice the first time she heard it. His musicality continued throughout his life and certainly throughout his retirement in The Villages where he and Sue moved nine years ago. He enjoyed being part of various bands as well as performing at the Orange Blossom Opry. His beautiful voice will be missed by all, but we find comfort in knowing the joy it brought to so many during his time here.

His love for cars also started at an early age, and was a passion that he built a career out of working in the transportation department of Con Edison. One of the best gifts he ever gave himself was his beloved black Corvette, The Songbird.

Leo was tenacious, strong willed and, some may even say, stubborn. He always had to do things his way, right up to the end. He had a sharp wit that never wavered. The day prior to his passing, when speaking with the doctor about the end stages of life, his response was “I don’t know, I’ve never done this before."

He was loved unconditionally and is survived by his wife of 50 years Susan Jeanne Wallace Brown of The Villages; his children, son Patrick M. Brown (partner Nikki Nowinski) and daughter and son-in-law Corey-Jeanne and Vinnie Leibell, as well as his adoring grandson Jackson Rex Leibell, all of Mount Juliet, Tennessee as well as his sister Carol Ann Costello of Summerfield, FL.

Arrangements will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in his name to the American Heart Association.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 25, 2023 at 11 am, located at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 5323 E County Rd. 462, Wildwood, FL 34785. A celebration will follow at Dignity Memorial Life Celebration Center, 7134 Powell Rd., Wildwood, FL 34785.