Jesse Brown Jr

Jesse Oscar Brown Jr., 96, died peacefully in his Spartanburg, South Carolina, home on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2020. A combat veteran of WWII, he was a proud member of "The Greatest Generation" who served God, family, country, and community throughout his life. Born on April 3, 1924, in Salisbury, North Carolina, he was the oldest son of the late Jesse O. and Ola Porter Brown. An active member of the Boy Scouts of America, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was a member of Order of the Arrow, accomplishments for which he was proud. While attending North Carolina State University, Jesse joined the armed forces, along with his entire ROTC unit, to serve in WWII, ultimately seeing action during the Allied invasion of Western Europe in 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. When the war ended, he was in Reims, France, serving in ADSEC. His last active duty post was Camp Lucky Strike in St. Valery, France. Upon returning home to Salisbury in 1946, he began a 43-year career with the Norfolk Southern Railway. He married the love of his life, Hilda Frederick Brown, on December 31, 1947, in Hackleburg, Alabama. He and Hilda first joined the First Baptist Church of Spartanburg in 1949, where he became a deacon and served in a myriad of church organizations during his 71-year membership. He considered his more than two dozen church building mission trips to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Moldova, France, Poland, and Puerto Rico as some of his greatest achievements. In 1986, he was awarded the Service to Mankind Award by the Sertoma Clubs of Spartanburg County for his tireless volunteer work and support of Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, Habitat for Humanity Spartanburg, St. Luke's Free Medical Clinic, Spartanburg Regional Hospital Hospice and a myriad of other service organizations. A builder of fences, furniture, what-nots, and churches, Jesse made sure each day was a productive one. He was a lover of crowder peas, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and cantaloupe, fried chicken, rice and gravy, biscuits, sweet tea and blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. In his world Pepsi was better than Coke because it was sweeter. Known for his tall tales and embellished stories, "hard head", sentimental spirit, wanderlust, fishing, my way or the highway attitude, fondness of 1940's big band music, determination, attention to detail, preparedness and one-liners, he never met a stranger. In his last year, he was still asking for his chainsaw, axe and wedges - there were always trees to be cut and logs to be split. He was a man among men, well loved. He will be missed by those he loved and those who loved him. Jesse is survived by his daughters, Freda Brown Johnson (John), Karen Brown Morton (Ray), son, Jesse (Chip) O. Brown III (Leslie), six grandchildren; Ryan Johnson, Lindsey Johnson, Emily Morton Ged, Jess Morton, David Brown and Russell Brown, and nine great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, Hilda Frederick Brown, sisters, Doris Brown Ralston, Jeanne Brown Smith, brother, Earle Porter Brown and his grandson, Matthew Porter Johnson. A graveside service with military honors, by American Legion Post #200, to be conducted by Rev. David Brown and First Baptist Spartanburg, will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, 1300 Fernwood-Glendale Road, Spartanburg, SC 29307 with a celebration of life service on a future date. Family request memorials be made to Mobile Meals, PO Box 461, Spartanburg, SC, 29304 https://www.mobile-meals.org/memorials. The family would like to express our everlasting gratitude and thankfulness to Sonya Genovese and Veronica Tullis for their kind, caring hands, and loving spirits during Mr. Brown's last years and to Agape Care Hospice. To a life well lived, defined by service to others - "Well done, good and faithful servant. Floyd's North Church Street Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Jesse Oscar Brown Jr please visit our Sympathy Store.