RUSSELL BROWN

Russell Brown lived his life one adventure after another. From sailing the Greek Isles and going on African safaris, to flying on the Concorde at Mach 2 to Europe, he zestfully pursued life to its fullest. Throughout his travels, Russell's friendly personality won him many friends from around the world, though his journeys were never complete without his beloved wife, Connie, by his side.

1944 was a historically important year for both the U.S. and abroad. As Franklin D. Roosevelt began his second term of Presidency, the Battle of the Bulge was raging on as Germans penetrated the Allied front. For Fred and Lena (Borgert) Brown of Sturgis, Michigan, life was much simpler. They lived on their farm, which was self-sufficient and kept their family fed. Already the proud parents of three boys, on August 30, 1944, the couple welcomed the birth of their son, Russell, who completed the Brown household. Russ and his brothers, especially his brother Lyman, were very close, though this was not surprising since they spent the majority of their time together working the farm. For education, Russ attended the one-room schoolhouse in Burr Oak, and graduated from Sturgis High School in 1962.

Russ was a hard worker and held a variety of jobs, including at Motor Wheel, Duo Therm Corp. and LaGrange Inc., where he worked as a Quality Engineer and Draftsman. In addition, Russ took night classes at Tri-State University in order to get his Bachelor's Degree. However, in 1965, he received his draft papers from the U.S. Army, and bravely served in the Vietnam War in the Signal Corp for a year. Thereafter, he lived in Hawaii for six months before returning home, and going back to his job at Motor Wheel.

Russ had a lifelong passion for adventure and had traveled extensively all over the world. But it all started in 1969, when he booked a trip to Spain, Portugal and Morocco through a travel agent named Connie Wolters. She was the one who drove Russ to the Detroit airport on his departure day and they got to know each other on the ride there. It wasn't long before they were romantically involved, and Russ moved to Holland, Michigan in 1972 to be closer to Connie. Later that year, Russ and Connie were married on December 15, 1972. Shortly after marrying, Russ went to work for Simicon Corp. but left after a year to work for Excello Corp/Textron, which is now Woodward FST. He retired from here in June of 1999, after 27 years.

As part of his adventurous side, Russ loved boating and being on the water, especially Lake Michigan. For 28 years, he and Connie boated at Bay Haven Marina in Holland on Lake Macatawa, and for ten of those years, they spent every summer living on a 25-foot cabin cruiser. They later traded the cabin cruiser in for a custom built 26 ft. S2 Center Cockpit, which eventually made way for a custom built teak trawler. Russ extensively traveled the Great Lakes in the trawler from Chicago to Wisconsin and up to the UP.

However, Russ' expeditions were not limited to just the Great Lake area. He had crossed the Atlantic Ocean over a hundred times just on trips to England. But that was just the tip of the iceberg - he had also sailed a charter in the Greek Isles, took two camera safaris in Kenya and toured Tanzania, Botswana and Zimbabwe. While visiting South Africa, Russ and Connie took the luxurious Blue Train from Johannesburg to Cape Town. They vacationed in Tahiti, saw the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx in Egypt, cruised the Nile River, spent a month long trip touring China, cruised around the Mediterranean Sea and went down under to Australia. Back on the water again, the couple sailed a charter in the Bahamas, Japan and Hawaii, took a cruise in the Baltic region, visited Fiji, sailed another charter in the Kingdom of Tonga and took three trans-Atlantic trips on the Queen Elizabeth II. Their journeys also included a cruise on the NCL Jewel from Europe to New York, a river cruise in the Netherlands and Belgium, and various other cruises to the islands of the Caribbean, Venezuela, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico.

And not many people can say they flew the Concorde at Mach 2 - but Russ did.

Throughout their many travels, Russ always made some new friends along the way. He was such a people person and could connect with everyone from all walks of life. Someone said, "Russ loved boating and Lake Michigan. He traveled the world with his beloved Connie and made friends wherever they went. Those friends he met treasure memories of his time with them." Aside from being a world traveler, Russell was well-read and liked to stay abreast of world politics, particularly by reading online newspapers.

Although Russ' life was happy, he struggled with health problems much of his adult life. About a year and a half ago, he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent treatment. One day while waiting in the crowded Chemo Clinic in Holland, a man asked Russ "Which way to Lake Michigan?" Russ pointed to the west wall and answered "that way." Then the man asked, "how far" and Russ told him about three or four miles. This man was from Hudsonville, and it amazed Russ that he had never ventured the twenty or so miles to see Lake Michigan. Later on, when Russ went into the hospital, he was having what they called a "pity party", and the "why me" syndrome. Through tears, Connie told Russ that from now on whenever they started feeling sorry for themselves, their catch phrase would be "AT LEAST YOU SAW LAKE MICHIGAN!" All who knew and loved Russ will treasure his memory.

Russell A. Brown, age 62 of Holland, MI, died on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at Holland Community Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Connie; brothers, Lyman (Mary Lou) Brown of Sturgis, and Scott (Virginia) Brown of Sturgis; sister-in-law, Karen (Terry) Wolters of Spring Lake; nieces, Karen Brown and Mary Wolters; and nephews, Alan Brown and Mark Wolters. Russ was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Thomas Brown. A memorial celebration will be announced at a later date. Memorial contributions may be given to the Ambucs, Humane Society or the Hackley Foundation. Arrangements are by the Northwood Chapel of Dykstra Life Story Funeral Home. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com for further information.