Thomas Arthur Brown
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - May 26, 2019
Thomas Arthur Brown, of Grand Junction, Colorado, at age 67, passed away peacefully at Genesis Mesa Manor Center on May 21, 2019, after a lengthy battle with a little understood illness known as PSP (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy). His caregivers, including Hospice, remarked at what a wonderful, gentle soul Tom was ; easy to care for and a joy to be around. Tom was born in Denver on March 28, 1952, and soon after was adopted by Ellis and Mary (Kanavel) Brown. He grew up on a fruit ranch on Second Fruit Ridge, the ancestral home of his father, Ellis, who, himself, came of age living there with his parents as well as three brothers and one sister. Sadly Tom’s father died just after Tom turned 16, but his mother, Mary, a librarian and later travel agent, lived to be 91. Tom graduated from Grand Junction High School in 1970 and went on to Mesa College (when it was still a two-year college) where he earned an Associate of Arts Degree in 1972. He continued his higher education at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where he received his B.A. Degree in Recreation Management in 1976. Throughout his life one of his closest friends was Mike Bullen, who had graduated GJHS in 1969, was a roommate with Tom at UNC and worked with him in sports programs in Grand Junction. Tom loved sports and competition, especially softball and baseball and made hundreds of friends during his life. For many years he worked with the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department. For 25 years he was a well-regarded umpire of town team ball games and also at the high school level all over the Western Slope and Eastern Utah. He also was employed for five years or so as Recreation Supervisor at the Rec Center in Delta. In addition he worked as a regional merchandiser for many grocery stores in Western Colorado and Moab. Later he fulfilled his love of driving by shuttling cars around the Western Slope for Glen Crone, an auto wholesaler. As an athlete, Tom took pride in having played as first baseman for the Winston Rodeo softball team which won the State Championship in Colorado in 1979. In addition, he enjoyed golf and was well known for his "wicked slice" which he compensated for with an unorthodox stance at about 45 degrees to the left of the normal driving position. Addressing the ball took on a new meaning for Tom, because often while hitting his drive he would be entertaining his buddies with some story and not miss a beat. Tom never married, but is survived by cousins, Bob (Jeanie) and Jim Brown of Delta; Beth (John) Tomsick of Mariposa, CA; Bruce (Judy) Brown of Los Angeles, CA, and Andy (Patti Johnson) Wolfe of Ft. Collins, CO. Arrangements are under the direction of Martin Mortuary. A memorial service will be planned for later in the summer to be held at one of Grand Junction’s softball fields or another venue dear to Tom’s heart. Donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
