J. Norman Brown

November 15, 1921-July 26, 2014

92, of Greeley

J. Norman Brown, 92, of Greeley passed away July 26, 2014 at home. He was born on November 15, 1921, on a farm near Macksville, Kansas to William Absalom and Alta May (Seal) Brown. His family moved from Kansas to Cedarwood, CO, when he was 6 years old and then moved to Pierce, CO in 1935. He graduated from Pierce High School in 1939 and attended Colorado A&M University for one year. On January 2, 1942, he enlisted in the Army and served in the 110th Air Force Squadron. During the war he spent time in Spokane, WA, at the Army Air Base in Richmond, VA and then in Panama. While in Panama, his unit inspected bases in Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Guatemala. He married Ruth L. Cogswell on April 12, 1942 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho while he was stationed in Spokane, WA. He was honorably discharged on December 3, 1945.

Upon his discharge from the Army, he returned to the family farm in Pierce and farmed winter wheat and raised cattle with his father. He and his father showed wheat samples at state and international seed shows and in 1947 won the national title in Chicago. They also won honors at the Colorado Pure Seed Show in 1948. He retired from farming in 1999. Norman served on the Weld County Extension Advisory board, Pierce School Board, Pierce Elevator Board, Hawkins Manufacturing board and Weld County General Hospital board from 1961-1965. With the urbanization of farm land in Weld County, the Weld County Taxpayers Association, a group formed by members of several agricultural committees, campaigned and were successful in getting agricultural land valued under productivity for taxation purposes. He served as president of the Weld County Taxpayers Association for many years and felt his greatest accomplishment was the work he did while serving on this board. He also served as chairman of the Farm Show, chair of the 4-H County Board, Governor Lamm’s North Colorado Development Committee and on the Standley Lake Water Committee and was elected to the Weld County Home Rule Charter Commission in 1975. After the Charter was written, he was appointed by the county commissioners to chair the farm committee to write the first county planning and zoning ordinance. He was president of the Weld County Agriculture Council from 1977-1986. He was a 60 year member of the First United Methodist Church in Pierce, serving on its board and he put together the 100 year history of the church for its 100 year celebration. He enjoyed arrowhead hunting, was a rock hound and did lapidary work and spent countless hours doing genealogy research for both his and Ruth’s families. He volunteered with Hospice of Northern Colorado for 7 years doing home visits.

Norman was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Ruth in 2003 after 61 years of marriage, and brother Noel Absalom Brown who was killed in an airplane accident while training in Texas during World War II. He is survived by his wife Clorinda (Romero) Brown; daughter Barbara (Wayne) Scott; son Duane (Janice) Brown; sister Myrna Thompson of Tennessee; granddaughters Krista (Dave) Schuetz, Richelle (Joe) Hutchins; grandsons Clint (Kristen) Brown and Derek Hjerleid. He has 8 great grandchildren, Trevor, Shaelyn and Devin Schuetz, Kyla and Bailey Hjerleid; Caden and Cody Hutchins and Braxton Brown. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews, step children, step grandchildren and step great-grandchildren.

Visitation from 5-7:00 P.M., July 30, 2014 at the Allnutt Macy Chapel. Services for Norman will be held on Thursday July 31, 2014 at 11:00 A.M. at the Allnutt Macy Chapel. A lunch reception following the service will be held in the Allnutt Reception Center. Interment in the Eaton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First United Methodist Church of Pierce or Hospice of Northern Colorado in care of Allnutt Funeral Service, 702 13th Street, Greeley, CO 80631. Friends may view the online obituary and send condolences at www.allnutt.com.