John Richard Brown

Dick Brown, 93, died Thursday evening, June 27, 2019 at Evergreen Community of Johnson County. Dick was born in Hartley, Texas in the West Texas Panhandle on February 24, 1926, to farmer and rancher Joseph Clifford Brown and teacher Lucille (Dollie) Bishop Brown. He graduated from Hartley High School and enlisted in the US Navy and was sent to Northwest Missouri State University for one year, where he was a member of the university’s varsity football team who won the honor to play in the Orange Bowl. From NMSU he transferred to the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned his BSME in 1947. He met the love of his life in Boulder and married Phyllis D. Bircher after graduation. They were married for over 57 years before Phyllis passed away in 2005. Dick and Phyllis had four children: Karen Lynette Brown, Debra Kay Miller, Richard Kent Brown (deceased 1/2/2011) and Lori Kristin Sandstrom. He and Phyllis had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren:

Karen’s sons: Geoff Greene (wife, Lacey), and sons Sam, Archer and Thomas; Richard Greene; and Ben Greene (wife, Nicole), and children Lydia and Charles; Debra’s sons: Cliff Miller, and son Grayson; Clay Miller (wife, Allie), and children Harper, Brynley, and Palmer; Channing Miller, and Chase Miller; Kent (wife Carol), father of 2 daughters, Danielle and Rayvn, and Rayvn’s sons Conner and Cameron; and son Justin; and Lori’s sons: Greg Sandstrom and Blake Sandstrom.

Dick served his country in the US Navy from 1944 through 1949 as Lieutenant, and in the US Naval Reserves, attached to mobilization Team 8-4, in Amarillo from 1960-1969. Dick was very actively involved in his church and community of Hartley for years. He taught the Adult Sunday School class at the First Baptist Church and he served as the General Manager of the Farmers Supply Company and general store from 1954 until he resigned in 1969. Other areas of service included Chairman of the Hartley County Child Welfare Board; Committeeman of the 31st Senatorial District, State Democratic Committee; Chairman of the Hartley County Democratic Committee for 13 years; Member of the Advisory Board of Producers Grain Corporation in Amarillo, TX; Secretary of the Texas Wheat Growers Association; Secretary of the North Plains Sugar Beet Growers Association for 3 years; Director of the Dallam-Hartley County Grain Sorghum Growers Association; Secretary of the Hartley County Committee for North Plains Water Conservation District; North Plains Coordinator for Governor John B. Connally; Charter Member of the Board of Directors, Etter Field Station (Sub-station of Southwest Experimental Station at Bushland); Member of Soil Conservation Society of America; Member of the original area committee to set up Panhandle Economic Program(PEP); Member of the Hartley County Program Building Committee (Texas Agriculture Extension Service): Member of Long Range County Program for Hartley County; Institutional Representative for Cub Scouts of America, Pack 49; Member of the Amarillo Mental Health Retardation Regional Board of the Statewide Planning for Vocational Rehabilitation Services; and was a farmer-rancher in Hartley County.

Dick was very active in politics in the State of Texas and ran for US Representative for the State of Texas, 31st Senatorial District, against an incumbent. While he ran a very tight race, he lost the race, but established lifelong relationships with the then governor, John B. Connally, and other political figures from Texas, including Lyndon B. Johnson, Walter Rogers and others. He delivered the Eulogy at the community memorial service for President John F. Kennedy.

In 1969, Dick joined the Texas A&M International program with the US Agency for International Development and moved his family to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. His role in that assignment was the expansion of marketing agricultural products native to the D.R. He was very active in the local Baptist Church in Santo Domingo and made many life-long friends while there. Once that contract ended, Dick moved to Algiers, Algeria and worked for Producers Grain Corporation (Amarillo, TX) for many years. He moved Phyllis and Lori from Canyon, TX to Geneva, Switzerland in 1976 and left Algiers to join them there for the next 13 years. He was very active in prospectus sales, his work in the Baptist church they were members of, and helping Phyllis with activities in the International School that Lori attended. He also started a new hobby of refinishing furniture and other wood projects.

Dick moved his family to Virginia Beach, VA in 1988 and was a resident there until 2017. He formed a new company, Worth Restoration, and was the CEO and COO for many years until his retirement. Not only was he responsible for procuring contracts from various universities and state agencies, but did work for the individuals seeking expertise not found elsewhere in restoring their antiques. Two of the contracts he was most proud of included refinishing Thomas Jefferson’s large library table and chairs in the State Capitol in Richmond, VA and refinishing all of the pews in the chapel at Virginia Military Institute. During his working days, he also added re-upholstery to his long list of skills, often taking discarded chairs and turning them into works of art. Dick was a long-time member of the London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach and served as usher for almost 30 years. Upon moving to Lenexa, KS in May 2017, Dick joined the New Hope Presbyterian Church in America and made many friends there.

Dick took a very active interest in his grandchildren and loved talking with them and learning what they were accomplishing whether it was in sports or academics or life in general. He was often heard bragging about their accomplishments to his friends and neighbors. He loved being around his great grandchildren, always commenting on how quickly they were growing.

A memorial service will be held on July 16, 2019 at 2:30 PM at the Evergreen Community of Johnson County for the residents of his neighborhood; and another one for friends and family on July 28, 2019 at 2:00 PM at the New Hope Presbyterian Church in America, 13310 Black Bob Drive, Olathe, KS 66062. He will be laid to rest in the Princess Anne Memorial Gardens, next to his wife, Phyllis, in Virginia Beach, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to LakeMary Center, 100 Baptiste Drive, Paola, KS 66071, where his grandson, Richard Greene, resides.