Brenard Gaston Brown, 90, of Newton passed away on Saturday, July 2, 2016 at Abernethy Laurels.
Mr. Brown was born on February 23, 1926 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was the son of the late Paul Lee and Ola Stafford Brown.
Brenard was a 1943 graduate of Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina. He attended Davidson College and earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration in 1950.
He was a member of Phi Kappa Alpha Social fraternity and participated in varsity football. Mr. Brown’s military service included serving in the United States Navy during WWII, serving in South Pacific aboard the sea going tug boat U.S.S. King Fisher and U.S.S. PC 485, as a Petty Officer 2nd Class.
Brenard was actively involved in First Presbyterian Church in Newton where he served as Deacon, Elder, and Sunday school teacher. He was founder and President of B. Brown and Associates. This company is still active under the name of Image Industries Inc.
Brenard has been a strong supporter of his community, serving as a member of the Board of Aldermen for the city of Newton; President of Newton Kiwanis Club; Board of Trustees at Catawba Valley Community College, Hickory; and Board of Trustees at Cannon Memorial Hospital, Banner Elk, NC.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Juanita Martin.
Those left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 65 years, Betty Early Brown of the home; three children, E. Lynn Brown of Newton, J. Scott Brown and wife, Sally of Greenville, SC, and Leslie “Bunny” Brown of Hickory, NC; two sisters, Margaret Martin and Athena Brown both of Concord, NC; four grandchildren, Kelli, Elizabeth, Chris, and Camille; and two great-grandchildren, Violet and Callum.
A Service of Remembrance will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at First Presbyterian Church in Newton with Rev. Fred Thompson officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in the church fellowship hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 701 N. Main Ave., Newton, NC 28658 or the Alzheimer’s Association, 4600 Park Rd., Suite 250, Charlotte, NC 28209.
Condolences may be sent to the Brown family at willisreynoldsfh.com.
The family would like to thank Elsa Danner and the staff of Abernethy Laurels for their loving care of Brenard for the last several months.
Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home and Cremations in Newton is honored to serve the Brown family.
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