John Nilsson Brown

It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our father, John Nilsson Brown. John passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of March 15th. Pat Brown, his loving wife of 53 years, was by his side when he passed. We are incredibly thankful for the wonderful care he received in his final hours.

John (aka “Papa John” or “Herbert”) was born eight weeks premature, weighing just over two pounds, on May 4th, 1950. His first days of life were challenging, and given the technology of the time it is amazing that he survived. But he was born with a strong spirit and a determined heart which he retained his entire life. He would often tell us stories of his formative years and how the people he met, and the experiences he had influenced his life. Most of the stories were funny and lighthearted, but others were about experiences that profoundly changed his life. He was a wonderful story teller.

John graduated from the University of Utah in 1975 with a degree in Geological Engineering and was fond of telling us that he had “rocks in his head” and that his favorite rock was called “leaverite” (as in leave-er-right there). He was a Utahman through and through, attending Utah football and basketball games for many years.

He was also one of the happiest people on earth. John always had a smile on his face and a laugh to share. He made friendships easily and made a conscious decision to bring joy to everyone he met …including strangers at Costco! His exceptional people skills served him well as a salesman where he made wonderful connections throughout the Western United States.

His infectious and happy personality served him well in his many church callings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. He especially loved serving an Addiction Recovery mission with his wife and also his time serving in two Bishoprics. His testimony and love for the Savior guided his life and will forever be an example and guiding light for this family.

We are incredibly sad that he is gone, and we will miss him terribly, but we know he is in a better place and enjoying a well deserved reunion with his parents (Wallace and Shirley Brown), and the friends and acquaintances that preceded him in death. We are confident that this reunion has been full of good laughs, tears of joy, and warm embraces. We will miss you Dad, but you have blessed our lives immensely and you will always be in our hearts.

John is survived by a large and loving family including his wife Pat, son Christian Brown (Jeanine), Emily Moss (Shane), Marci Hansen (Danny), James Garrett Brown (Angie), Alex Brown (Stormy), and 14 grandchildren, with one great-grandchild on the way. Also survived by his sister Patty Richards (Darell), his brother David Brown (Lynette) and brother in law Mark Ferre (Connie) and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at the LDS church located at 4366 S 1500 E in Salt Lake City on Friday March 20th at 11:00 AM. A viewing for friends and family will be held on Thursday evening from 6:00 to 7:30 PM at the same location and from 10:00 to 10:45 AM on Friday.

Those wishing to view the service via Zoom can click " Watch Service" or follow the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84321014892