Obituary of Carlyle A. Brown

Carlyle A. Brown passed away in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday, December 27, 2013. He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 14, 1918 to the late Oscar and Esther Brown. He was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Florence Brown (nee Person) and his brother, Hamilton T. Brown. Carlyle graduated from the University of Minnesota in June of 1941 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. On May 13, 1942 he married the love of his life, Florence Person of Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the next four years he served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. They were stationed first in Seneca, Illinois and next in Bremerton, Washington. When he was discharged from the Navy in 1946, he accepted a position at General Electric in Schenectady, NY where he worked as an electrical engineer designing hydro-electric generators. In 1971 he moved with his wife to Campinas, Brazil for three years to work on a special assignment for GE. He completed his career working for GE in Schenectady, NY where he retired in 1984. Carl dedicated his life to his wife, children, family, friends, neighbors, church, and his faith in God. He had a profound impact on the lives of many people. In 1948, he was one of the founding directors of Camp Pattersonville, a Christian camp for children ages seven to twelve. For fifty years he was actively involved with supporting the camp's ministry to children. In his youth he was an Eagle Scout. He was also an avid ice skater and skated until he was 91 years old. He loved swimming and camping and his involvement with Camp Pattersonville was a way of sharing the Gospel and his love of the outdoors with young people. Carl was an active member in the First Presbyterian Church for more than fifty years, serving faithfully as a Sunday school teacher, deacon and elder. Carl was the devoted father of Karen Brown of San Diego, California, Bruce Brown of Montreal, Quebec, Martha Rydbeck of Hamilton, Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Siemens of Omaha, Nebraska. He was the cherished grandfather of ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A funeral service celebrating Carl's life will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at the First Presbyterian Church, 209 Union St., Schenectady, NY at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, kindly honor Carlyle Brown by making donations to Camp Pattersonville, c/o First Presbyterian Church.