Billy Gean Brown

A Celebration of Life will be held at 12:30 p.m., Friday, March 20 at Collier Butler Chapel for Billy Gean Brown, 89, of Gadsden, who passed away March 17, 2015. Dr. Norris Hilton will officiate. Burial will be at Rainbow Memorial Gardens.

Mr. Brown was born in Hastings, Oklahoma on September 10, 1925, to Rufus Oscar and Callie Otis Brown. He came to Gadsden to work with Midwestern Welding Company, worked for Republic Steel and retired from LTV Steel Company.

He was a WWII Army Veteran. He was a Staff Sargent in Company C - 44th Infantry. His unit was one of the first to enter Hiroshima, Japan after the bombing.

He was a long time member and deacon of Forrest Avenue Baptist Church, but had recently joined Dwight Baptist Church.

In 1959, he married his sweetheart, Grace, and blended their children to become a family of nine. It is a union that will continue on even after they are gone because of the love sacrifice they both made. Their lives were spent in nourishing their children with their unending love and the importance of keeping Christ as the center of their family. He worked hard his whole life and had a great work ethic that he impressed the importance of to his children and grandchildren. He will be remembered for his saying, “Anything worth doing, is worth doing right”. He was a man of many talents and was known for being able to fix anything. His garage was his refuge and he enjoyed “piddling” around on projects or inventions he might come up with. His love was baseball, which he played in his youth and college days, and was a big fan of the Atlanta Braves. You rarely saw him without his Braves cap. He always had a jigsaw puzzle on the table and many fun times were spent with family and friends dropping in and working puzzles with him.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Grace Whaley Brown, infant son Billy Gean Brown, Jr, granddaughter, Jennifer Grace Milam and brothers, Sammy and Elwin Gayle Brown.

He is survived by his children, Karen (Gene) Johnson, Mary (Buddy) Fitzpatrick, Kenneth (Mary) Rowell, Kathy (Gary) Ellison, Kathy Milam, Deborah Thurmond and Ketrenia (David) Hooks; Grandchildren, Suzy (Dennis) Curry, Stacy (Scott) Brown, Steven (Wendy) Johnson, Randy (Megan) Fitzpatrick, Rachel (Daniel) Pugh, Russell (Amber) Hooks, Alissa (Shannon) Brock, Emily (Dwight) Wren, Lydia (James) Jones, Rebecca (Tyler) Berch, Chandler Thurmond; Great Grandchildren, Ben Curry, Anna & Addison Brown, Lawsyn Fitzpatrick & Jackson Monroe, David & Jacob Pugh, Casen Brock, Tribble Wren, Harrison & Jack Berch; sisters, LaFredia Hobbs and Cynthia Gilland; Sister-in-law: Ivlean Harris; special niece: Renea Parsons and numerous other family members and friends.

The family will receive friends from 11:30 until the time of service at 12:30 p.m...

Pallbearers will be grandsons and grandsons-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to your favorite charity.

Online condolences may be made at www.collier-butler.com.