Obituary of Harry George Brown

Harry George Brown, age 94, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 6, 2021, at Boca Ciega nursing home in Gulfport, Florida. He was born on May 1, 1927, in Queens, New York to George and Johanna (Goodale) Brown. He enlisted in the Navy, and after honorable discharge, received his college education at a Catholic college under the GI Bill. He worked as an automobile salesman in Valley Stream, NY where he met and married Agnes, his first wife. Upon retirement, he built a house in Wilmington, Vermont, where he purchased a lodge and several seasonal rental units nearby, which he ran until he retired and moved to Gulfport, Florida. Agnes(Peggy), his first wife passed away in 2007. He met his second wife, Marie Hanson, in the Catholic Church in Gulfport, Florida, and they married on July 20th, 2009.

Harry was a fun loving man who loved to tell corny jokes, and he enjoyed being the life of the party. He also had a passion for horse racing and visiting his favorite Saratoga racetrack. Harry truly loved people, he had a very warm heart and a large number of friends. Some of his closest friends were priests, for he was a devout Catholic who served in the Knights of Columbus and as a member of The Legion of Mary. He invested a lot of time and effort in helping to raise his sister Irene's daughter, Catherine Brown, and became like a father to her, being her Godfather, and Godfather to her two sons.

The Catholic Church was his passion, and he was very active in it. Together, Harry and Marie devoted much of their time to serving the Catholic community through their activities in the Church. They used to visit nursing homes and pass out Holy Communion to shut-ins in their community. Harry is survived by his wife, Marie Brown, his niece, Catherine (Brown) Richards, and Cousins Charles, Ronald, and Gerard Goodale and their children. A mass will be said for Harry at Most Holy Name Catholic Church in Gulfport on Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 4:30PM. Family, friends, and others whose lives Harry touched are invited to grieve and support one another. He will be laid to rest at Florida National cemetery in Bushnell, Florida on Wednesday June 16th with military honors.