Brown, John Thomas III , age 74, died peacefully at home in Plano, Tx on January 22, 2015. He was born on May 5, 1940, in Ft. Dodge, IA to Ken and Irene Brown. His fondest memories were from his youth in Blue Rapids, KS where he graduated from Blue Rapids High School. When the family moved to Quanah, TX, in 1958, he enrolled at Texas Tech University. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Fall of 1964, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Fairbanks, AK. He returned to active duty for the U.S. Army in Vietnam as 1st Lieutenant, Executive Officer, and Company Commander of the largest Maintenance & Supply Company from August 1967-November 1968. When he returned, he served for two years as general staff for the U.S. Army Weapons Commander in Rock Island, IL. From 1970 to 1974, his service took him to the Panama Canal Zone at the Tropic Test Center. He was honorably discharged from the Army and received a Bronze Star. He utilized the G.I. Bill and earned a Masters of Business degree with honors from University of Delaware in 1975. He became an Assistant President for Helmerick & Payne in Tulsa, OK; just over a year later, he moved to Houston, TX to work for Roy M. Huffington as Project Coordinator. During his employment, he was transferred to Jakarta, Indonesia, as Manager of Financial & Administrative Trading of Indonesian LNG to Japan. He was responsible for 10% of Japan's energy consumption and 15% of Indonesian foreign exchange earnings. He traveled around the world five times and visited many countries with his family from 1979 to 1984. He recently retired from Raymond James & Associates as Securities Principal & Registered Investment Advisor. John was an avid adventurer. He enjoyed hunting with friends, fishing with his sons in Alaska, hiking and camping with his daughter and grandchildren, and traveling with his wife. He was an enthusiastic Texas Tech supporter and an active Delta Tau Delta Alumnus. He supported his friends and family with determination, love, courage, and inner strength.
John is preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth Warren Brown and Irene Wilson Brown, and his sister, Christine Brown Steele.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Liz of Plano, TX; three children Stacy Elizabeth Brown Park and her husband, Harold, of Union, KY; Kurt Cobourn Brown and his wife, Vina, of Spring, TX; and Matthew Warren Brown of Plano, TX; two grandchildren Andrew and Matthew Park of Union, KY; a sister, Marianne Brown Jennings and her husband, Joe, of Prosper, TX; and nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at First Methodist Church in Frisco, TX on February 5, 2015at 7:00 pm. There will be a private burial at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, February 6th at 10:30.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The John T. Brown III, Delta Tau Delta Scholarship Texas Tech University; PO Box 41081, Lubbock, TX 79409-1081.