Harold Gene Brown

Harold was a resident of Mesa View Retirement Community in Grand Junction, CO from 2015 to the present. He passed away at Community Hospital in Grand Junction of natural causes.

Harold was born on Feb. 5, 1923, on a farm in Norman, OK farm. He lived there through the Great Depression in the 1930s until he enlisted in the Navy in 1940 at the young age of 17. He was assigned deployment orders in Dallas, TX to embark on the USS Nevada as part of the Pacific fleet. Harold was aboard the Nevada at Pearl Harbor on that fateful December morning in 1941, serving as a Gunner’s Mate. Upon re-assignment, Harold met his bride Shirley in Pensacola, FL, and they were married in 1946. He continued to serve aboard various ships in the South Pacific and Aleutian Islands until his honorable discharge as a Gunner’s Mate 1st Class in 1948.

After the Navy, Harold and Shirley moved to Baldwinsville, NY where they started a family. Two boys were born, Tom in November of 1948 and Dave in May of 1951. They stayed in Baldwinsville until 1952 when Harold decided to move his young family out west to Colorado. They settled in the Denver area where he worked as a machinist tool and mold maker and eventually built a home in Wheat Ridge. Harold and Shirley raised Tom and Dave in that home until the boys eventually moved on and started their own lives and families.

Shortly after Harold’s retirement, Shirley passed away in 1986. Harold continued to find love and companionship after her death. He was married three more times, with each wife preceding him in death. In 2015, after the death of his fourth wife, Harold moved to Grand Junction, CO to be closer to his son Tom and his family.

In his earlier years, Harold was an avid pilot, and having owned several airplanes, he enjoyed flying around the country to see friends and family. He was also an outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling to many national and state parks with his camper for several years after retirement. As a devout Christian, Harold found solace and strength through scripture and Jesus Christ. He spread The Word through missionary work and was involved in church communities wherever he lived.

Harold also found joy in spending time with his family. He remained a devoted and loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather until his passing.

Harold is survived by his sons, Tom (Patti) and Dave (Lisa). He is also survived by four grandsons, Aaron, Adam, Christopher, and Clayton Brown, and one granddaughter, Heather Gregory. He had the pleasure of knowing his great-grandchildren, which include Audrey, Jamie, Andrew, Joseph Brown, and Jimmy and Aurora Gregory. Harold was preceded in death by his father, Louis Jesse Brown, mother Maggie Ruth (Essary), sisters Lillian (Vaught), and Lenora (Sterling), and his first wife, and mother of his sons, Shirley. He remarried after Shirley’s death three more times to Marian (Knott), Vada (Wiley), and Jackie (Stater), and all preceded him in death.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your favorite faith-based or veteran’s charity in Harold’s name.

There will be a live webcast via Zoom for those who cannot attend in person starting at 2:15 PM MDT. To access the webcast follow this link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/.81703227096?pwd=SP4L3Dj3SHaYgna4Oyl-NevlaXEUPZe.1

Meeting ID: 817 0322 7096

Passcode: 048320