William Brown

William Carl Brown (Bill), 88, son of Wesley Carl and Donie Brown, passed away on March 10, 2022.  Bill grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, where he participated in the Boy Scouts earning the rank of Life Scout.  He graduated from Southeast High School and moved to Flint, Michigan, to attend General Motors Institute where he earned an industrial engineering degree and met his future wife Nancy.

Following graduation, Bill and Nancy married and moved to Edgewood, Maryland, where Bill served in the United States Army Chemical Corps.  Later he served in the Army reserve.

After going to work for General Motors, Bill continued his education, earning a masters in engineering from University of Michigan, and a doctorate in business administration from Indiana Northern University.

His long career with GM both in the United States and in Strasbourg, France, let him work where his passion lay:  cars (both new and classic).  When he was manager of the Hydramatic plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, he established the first programs to help inner city workers stay on the job, to enable those with addictions to turn their lives around, and to develop women’s managerial skills and advancement potential.

In addition to work, Bill gave to the community by serving as president of the library board in Northville, Michigan, as a leader at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Livonia, Michigan, as chairperson of United Way campaigns, and as president of the school board (where he worked to make sure girls had equal access to all classes, especially in the sciences).

When his daughters were young, he was an energetic, enthusiastic parent:  a nurturer, changer, feeder, bather, and super teller of bedtime stories.   When the girls were older, he supported them in their pursuit of engineering at Michigan State University and was even able to say, “Go green” when watching college football.

Bill was an avid traveler, bowler, golfer, and card player.  After retiring from General Motors, Bill pursued one of his other passions, flying. He became a licensed private pilot, and he and Nancy logged many flight miles in their Piper Archer.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of sixty-seven years, his daughters Sheri Allen (Don Boucher) and Caralyn Brown and grandsons Wesley Cashman (Olivia Mast) and Ian Faulkner

A celebration of life will be held May 21, 2022.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.