Dear Sue,
I am very sorry for your and your family's loss.  
Kind regards,
Karen Wagner (from Spring Gardens/Rockwell)

I am so sorry to hear of your family's loss. May his legacy of love and laughter live on through the many memories you will all have. Heaven just got another angel. 

~~With deepest sympathy, Shayne Sewell (USPTO)

We did not only work together but also had some nice time going out for lunch or dinner. Here with Koen van Ginkel.

Joel was such a nice colleague. I remember his pragmatism, enthusiasm and great friendliness. Whether at the EPO or USPTO he was a pleasure to work with. I will miss him.

Our deepest condolences from all EPO colleagues who have had the chance to meet Joel. We've been saddened by the news and stay with his family in these difficult times.

Sending my deepest condolences to the family and those close to Joel.

Joel touched so many lives in the very best way. I’m grateful I got the chance to know him as a colleague, mentor and a friend.

Joel played a huge role in the path of my career. I met Joel at a point in my career where I wasnt sure about myself and was still trying to find my way. He saw the potential in me and encouraged me to chip away at a new career path. He kept me motivated through failed interviews and was waiting for me with a big smile when I finally had a successful one. 

I can honestly say that I would not be where I am in my career without his support. I will always remember how kind he was to me, and pass that kindness along to others.

Our condolences on your loss.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time. 

Jim & Kristin Nosal

Where do I start? What a kind person, with a witty calm response to practically anything anyone threw at him. We are so grateful we had the opportunity to work with Joel. I will always remember how Joel was looking for invisible markers for a game he was setting up for his kids. Something about how the invisible message would appear depending on the temperature setting. He was truly such a well rounded person and I learned a lot from him, even though I only got to work directly with him for a short period of time. The Joel signature smirk was one of my favorites! We are also so grateful that he introduced our little Owen to Bill Peet. Never too early to learn how to be considerate of the planet and animals. Thank you for leaving us with so many wonderful lasting memories and we wish you the peace that you surely deserve. Our deepest condolences to the entire family. You are all in our loving thoughts and prayers.

My deepest condolences. Joel was a mentor to many at the USPTO, and he will be sorely missed.

I'm so shocked and saddened to hear of Joel's passing...  I had the pleasure of getting to know Joel while working at DOI's National Business Center and playing poker together with a few friends.  He was an awesome colleague & friend, who was thoughtful, witty, and kind.  He'll truly be missed!   My deepest condolences to his family & friends.  May you rest in peace Joel, and may his memory continue to inspire and bring comfort to his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time...

Although I've only really known Joel for the past year, that has been long enough to know just how amazing he was. I enjoyed all of our one-on-one meetings: it was an absolute treat to hear him speak about his work with such authority, and to absorb even a modicum of all the years of institutional knowledge he shared. Even more so, though, I appreciated the times we got to talk about life. That's when his humor really shone, and when his eyes really lit up--talking about his family, traveling, and all of those life lessons you learn from colleagues who really know the ropes.

I am so grateful for the time we got to share. His spirit will live on in those of us lucky enough to be in his light, even for just a short time.

Joel will be missed. His professionalism, and sense of humor, made working with Joel a pleasure and helped in successfully meeting the office's goals.

My heartfelt condolences to your family.  Joel and I met in eighth grade, and he has been a lifelong friend. I am grateful to have shared so many wonderful memories from attending countless concerts together (including a several years of Allman Brothers shows at the NYC Beacon), working the night shift at Columbia Pike Shell, enjoying “road trips” in his Camero, riding trail motorcycle thru the Beaver Brook woods, and simply sharing stories of our common love for travel, hiking national parks, and music.  Joel will be dearly missed.

Chris Cherry and Joel - Maverick's Concert 2022

Joel was such a positive force in so many peoples’ lives. 

I got to know him at the US Patent & Trademark Office.  His  accomplishments are too numerous to list.  Though the one effort he led that completely transformed Patents was the IFW (Image File Wrapper) project. Taking millions of patent file wrappers and millions of papers filed yearly to those file applications and converting them to paper for patent examiners and applicants to see in real time was a multi year Herculean effort.  Joel led the team and the Patent office to that change and it drove the USPTO forward for decades.  

Joel was most proud of his family.  Whenever we spoke he always glowed on how his children were learning, growing and exploring life.  

Joel taught me so much.  When I was first detailed as a patent examiner, he took the time to teach me about IT and how it was done at the USPTO.    His humanity and wanting to understand people really set him apart.  

Though we all mourn Joel, we have all been better people because of him.  I will cherish my memory of his positive force.

It had been a great pleasure and honor working with Joel in the last 10+ years on CPC project. Combined with his broad IT background and deep business insights, Joel led the team to success by overcoming many difficulties for such a complex and critical system. Joel inspired everyone around him. He genuinely cared about everyone he worked with. Very often, Joel was the first to recognize when someone did something well, no matter big or small. This picture above was from one of our many trips to European Patent Office. On these trips, Joel always quietly took care of many logistics so that we can concentrate on discussion of solutions. He was such a great person; I will miss him dearly.

My deepest condolences to the Brown Family and all those who cherished Joel. I had the pleasure of working with Joel in the Office of Patent Automation (OPA) at the USPTO. My favorite memories with Joel are the talks we had early mornings before most of our colleagues came in. He would  share stories about his bike adventures and his family. He reminded me to be intentional about the time I spend with my young boys and not let work consume me. I took that advice to heart and I am forever grateful.
Warmest Regards, Ty

Here Joel is enjoying a fresh dutch beer at a brewery in a weird industrial part of The Hague, in 2018. Joel was a great tour guide every time we went to Europe and always knew excellent spots to visit.

Joel heading up the USPTO IT delegation at a meeting with the European Patent Office delegation in July 2018. Joel's wit and good nature meant the meetings were always productive and built real friendships with our EPO colleagues.

Joel was a great friend, mentor and boss, and I miss him dearly. He was always a spring of knowledge and experience and taught myself and many others so much about business reality and life in general. An all-around great dude. My deepest condolences to all of his family and friends.

Our condolences go out to the Brown family.  We first met Joel at the PTO when he was part of the team deploying PTONet, the network that links all PTO computers together and is essential to the mission of the office.  Over the years we came to know Joel as a good friend, a good father, husband and brother.  He was he kind of guy you could sit down with and discuss projects outside of his immediate responsibilities.  He always found the time to be a good friend and always had good advice to give.  He will be dearly missed.

Growing up I was admittedly at the Browns house more than my own house some days. Joel and Sue had a knack for welcoming their children’s friends with open arms and treating  them as if they were their own, always including them in their family fun and adventures. I will remember his sense of humor but most of all I will remember the love he had for his family which was always palpable. I will hold the memories of various trips to the pool, movies, hikes, Christmas light shows and more near and dear. I found this photo a little while back and i think it perfectly encapsulates the kind of dad Joel was.

It was a great pleasure and privilege to work with Joel. His sense of humor was appreciated by everyone around him. With tremendous sadness, we have to bid farewell to our colleague and friend. My deepest sympathy for the entire family.

A lovely day at the museum with Joel, Nick, and Holly. Even though we had an active travel schedule, it was always clear that his family was always at the top of his mind and center of his heart.

Silent Disco in Delft (The Netherlands). Joel was the reason that after a long day of negotiations, we had FUN.

Another great trip to The Hague negotiating and advancing American interests with Joel, Dennis, and Sumesh. We spent a lot of time eating and drinking as well as working. On a personal note, I will always be grateful to Joel for his mentorship. His guidance was always timely, and I will continue to hear his voice as I face decisions in the future.

I'm not sure where this was, but I love this picture because it captures the essence of Joel - always ready to celebrate - the season, the pig (?), or whatever :)

I first recall meeting Joel during the development of the Image File Wrapper (IFW) system, adapting the European Patent Office's Phoenix system to work in the US Patent Office.  Joel  was, quite literally, one of the "superstars" in the Office of the Chief Information Officer that transformed and improved Phoenix to work in our Patent Business. I remember Joel's shy smile, keen intellect and sharp as tacks sense of humor. His quiet demeanor invariably foreshadowed a cunning insight to address a raft of conundrums. He was instrumental to the success of IFW. Years later working together in the Patent Business, Joel was a critical leader in the development of the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system.  As always, Joel's cool analysis and clear perspectives provided answers and solutions to complex issues. Ever approachable, Joel was kind to his colleagues and demonstrated a warmth and concern for all he worked with.  He was an exceptional individual, and will be sorely missed.

They had some fun this day and you can see the look on Joel's face that he was enjoying himself.

This was an organizational meeting from November 2023 Joel participated in.  This is the whole group that day and Joel is peeping out from behind Bode Fagbohunka.

To the Brown family,
My deepest condolences.  I got to know Joel working with him on CPC IT.  The picture above is from one of our many trips to Den Haag.  He was a wonderful person and it was clear how dedicated he was to his family, as he always shared family updates and adventures with our team.  Joel will be deeply missed by all who knew him. 

Melenie Gordon

We will always remember the good times in the Irish pub in The Hague. We became friends and share good moments that will always be with us, forever.

If one lives long enough and is lucky enough, they might just get to know a true human like Joel Brown. I had the pleasure and honor to get to Joel first as a colleague and as a friend, working with him on CPC and then traveling  with him to the European Patent Office. He was such a fun guy and always saw the best in everyone and in every situation. I will miss him every day.

Joel was a very special leader to work with over many years, very open to everybody's opinion, very nurturing and extremely skilled. He also knew that life outside work was very precious and that every moment of it should be shared with family and friends.
My sincere condolences to the family.

I remember our days in Crystal City when a bunch of us would go to McDonalds for breakfast.  Joel was very appreciative of those around him, friends and co workers alike.  He was very hard working and also encouraged those around him.  Very shocked to hear about his passing.  My prayers for the Brown family during this difficult time.  May he rest in peace.

Please accept our sincerest condolences for your loss. We will all miss Joel and it is difficult to think of him in the past tense. The Brown family is in our thoughts and prayers as we celebrate his life and cherish our memories of Joel. 

Barnaby and Sheila Walsh

My deepest condolences to the entire family.  I worked at the PTO for many years before retiring 16years ago.  I considered Joel, Keith and Glen as friends.  He was such a good person and will be truly missed.

Practice motorcycle camping trip prior to Alaska trip. Joel’s bear burrito hammock (no rain fly) got soaked along with Joel in the middle of the night.

The time I went to Dulles to pickup Peggi and instead picked up Joel.

Beginning of a ride at the Apple House plus apple cinnamon sugar donuts.

Only took us 10 years to finally complete the Route 11 Potato Chip ride.

I had the privilege of working closely with Joel on a couple of projects at work.  I got to know the smart, professional side of Joel, a guy with a lot of integrity.  I also gained a wonderful, genuine friend.  

He thought he'd photobomb this sunset pic.

So sorry for your loss!
The Najaka Family

May your memories be a blessing.  Thinking of all of your family during your loss 💔. With love Carol Magee

Joel will be missed. We had so many great times from high school up unto just a couple months ago. So many parallels in life, family and work were shared in our get togethers, usually over food and drinks. Such good connections rarely found after high school but our group tended to stay in contact and always be available for a concert or ballgame. Great times to remember Joel by.  All our best to the family.  Take care and be strong.

Joel also attended my first wood-cutting party. I couldn't get my hydraulic splitter working and he figured out that a part had been installed backwards and fixed it. Thank you, Joel.

OBITUARY

Joel Edward Brown

April 13, 1963 – May 24, 2024

Witzke Funeral Homes Inc.

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