Kenneth Brown

Kenneth Eugene Brown, beloved father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle, passed away

on April 6 in Springfield, Oregon. He was 97.

Ken was born in Stark County, Illinois, the fourth of five children of William Wallace and

Ruth Reed Brown. He grew up in Central Illinois and graduated from Wyoming Community

(Ill.) High School, where he lettered in football and basketball.

Ken graduated from high school early in order to join the U.S. Navy, enlisting in March of

1945. After completing his basic training at Great Lakes Training Center near Chicago, he served

as a pharmacist mate, first in San Diego and then in Parris Island, South Carolina. He was

discharged in 1946, but was recalled in 1951 during the Korean War, serving in Memphis,

Tennessee.

On January 8, 1950, Ken married Anita Crozier in Elmwood, Illinois. They first met as

teenagers at church camp. They were married 53 years, until Anita passed away in 2003.

In the 1950s, Ken worked as a printer at newspapers in Galva, Canton, and Peoria, Illinois.

Ken and Anita lived in Canton, Ill., when they welcomed their first child, Cindy, in 1955. She

was joined by her brother, Kevin, in 1957.

In 1958, the family relocated to Seattle, where Ken began a 25-year career at the Seattle Post-

Intelligencer. During that time, he rose from journeyman printer to composing room foreman to

production director. In 1983, the Seattle Times took over the printing of the P-I and Ken spent

the final nine years of his career reluctantly working for the Times, the P-I’s chief competitor.

In 1960, Ken and Anita bought a home in Edmonds, Washington, where they raised their two

children. They lived in Edmonds until 1994, when they moved to Federal Way, Washington.

After his retirement in 1992, Ken and Anita enjoyed traveling and spending time with family.

They traveled throughout the continental United States, Hawaii and Alaska. They especially

enjoyed visiting relatives in the Midwest.

Ken was an avid sports fan. He saw his first Chicago Cub game in 1938 and immediately

became a lifelong fan. He reveled as much as anyone in the Cubs’ 2016 World Series

championship.

He also was a fan of the Washington Huskies, Seattle Seahawks, and Seattle Mariners. After

moving to a retirement community in Oregon in 2013, he added the Oregon State Beavers to his

list of favorite teams.

Ken was a golfer, who at the top of his game played to an 8-10 handicap. He continued to play

golf into his 80s, and only underwent much-needed knee-replacement surgery when the pain

started to affect his golf swing.

Most important to Ken, though, was family. He was the No. 1 supporter of his children and six

grandchildren, and enjoyed nothing more than to attend their sporting events, theater

productions, birthday parties, graduations and weddings. He also stayed close through the years

with several of his nieces and nephews in the Midwest, who adored their “Uncle Kenne.”

Ken is survived by his children Cindy (Vergil), Kevin (Gladys), and six grandchildren: Ryan

(Kara), Beth (Andrew), Kyle, Katie (Jean-Pierre), Cameron, and Colin (Ahna). He also leaves

behind five great-grandsons: Carter, Mason, Lucas, Alex and Jacques.