Richard Roy Brown Jr.

1933 ~ 2019

Richard Roy Brown Jr., 86, passed away on November 4, 2019 after suffering a stroke. He is survived by his four children Christopher Brown, Cheryl Brown Howarth, Melanie Brown Thomas, and Jeffrey Brown as well as eight grandchildren.

He was born in Ogden, Utah on July 12, 1933 and as a young child Richard frequently moved between Utah and California. In the eighth grade he moved back to Utah permanently where he was raised by the Claude and Ellen Stuart family of Uintah, Utah.

After graduating high school, he went on to play football and baseball at Weber State as well as going on to graduate from Brigham Young University. While enrolled at Weber State, he joined the Marines for a short stint but ultimately ended up in the Army where he went to Officers Candidate School and graduated in 1955 at Fort Sill. During the Korean War, he became a TAC Officer where he trained other officers in artillery.

Once he was out of the military, Richard moved back to California where he met Shirley Gail Fox and by January 4, 1962, Richard and Shirley were married. The couple moved to Cheviot Hills where they raised all four of their children. As the children were growing up, the Brown's often went on water skiing trips, had neighborhood parties, and celebrated holidays with their tight knit community of neighbors.

In the 1960's, Richard was the partner of a company called the Jamison Door Company. During that time, he decided to refinish the wood in his 1959 Mercedes. After spending 8-9 years learning the craft, he sold his portion of The Jamison Door Company and opened up his own business where he spent over thirty years refinishing the wood in high end cars.

In 1978, he joined the Culver City Police Department Reserves where he helped grow the program from 5 to 53 officers. After serving for over twenty years in the Reserves, he retired as a captain. He was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he served as a counselor to two bishops in the Westwood Second Ward, Los Angeles Stake.

In 2003 the Brown's retired and relocated to Herriman, Utah. Richard and Shirley spent over fifteen years enjoying everything that life in the canyon had to offer, from the deer outside the window to the friendly neighbors. It served as the perfect stomping ground for all of the grandchildren to spend many summers with grandma and grandpa. Being a father and grandfather were two of the greatest joys of his life.

Richard had a deep love for politics, wood making, America, animals, and his family; however, there is nothing he loved more than his wife, Shirley. He was the walking example of love, kindness and integrity. He was a big man with a big heart who was never afraid to wear it on his sleeve. When someone loves as unabashedly as Richard Brown, his passing leaves a small hole in the hearts of all who knew him. He will be profoundly missed.