Obituary

Gary Brown, 79, of Lee’s Summit entered heaven on October 24th at home. Gary Wayne Brown was the second of five children born to Thomas Brown and Darlene (Smith) Brown on October 21, 1939 in Kansas City. As a child, Gary loved to play sports, especially baseball which became a lifelong passion.

When he was 17, he enlisted in the Marine Corps where he was a champion boxer. After basic training, Gary moved back to Kansas City and began courting Darlene Wilkinson whom he had known since they were 8 years-old. Gary and Darlene were married April 4th, 1959. They made their home in Lee’s Summit and quickly welcomed three children: Debbie, Rick, and David. Gary worked in the same building for 42 years although the company changed from Western Electric to AT&T Technologies to FabTech.

In 1975, Gary and Darlene were surprised to learn that they were expecting a fourth child: Daniel, who was named after Gary’s best friend. As his sons grew up, Gary began to coach baseball in Lee’s Summit. Gary coached for 25 years and was a leader of the Lee’s Summit Baseball Association (LSBA). He impacted many young men through his decades of coaching baseball, basketball and soccer. At the age of 55, Gary attended a Promise Keepers conference in Boulder, Colorado with a group of men from the First Baptist Church (FBC) of Greenwood where he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. He became an avid student of God’s Word, a gifted Sunday School teacher, a deacon and a leader; first at FBC Greenwood and then at Summit Woods Baptist Church.

After Gary retired from FabTech, he followed his lifelong passion for gardening into a small business doing landscaping. He will be remembered by his family for his innate nurturing ability not only for plants, but also for babies and dogs. Gary was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Darlene; his parents; his brother, Errol Brown; his sister, Elsie Campbell; and his beloved puppy dogs. He is survived by his four children: Debbie Sylvester of Mt. Airy, MD; Rick and David Brown, both of Lee’s Summit; and Dan (Jennifer) Brown of Ankeny, IA. He will also be missed by his sister, Carol Purdom of Blue Springs; his brother, Danny Brown of Lincoln, NE; his seven grandchildren: Mallory, Kyle, Courtney, Madison, Truett, Garrett and Delaney; and his great- grandsons: Jackson and Beckett.

Visitation will be Monday, October 29, 2018 at Langsford Funeral Home, from 3-4pm. Memorial services will begin at 4pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, https://donate3.cancer.org/?campaign=hopelodgekansascity&_ga=2.127330442.646045257.1540501757-1057399787.1540501757