1927
John
2017
John Jennings Brown
February 21, 1927 — February 4, 2017
Services for John Jennings Brown were 10:00 a.m., Thursday, February 9, 2017 at MMS-Payne Funeral Home Chapel.Burial followed at Chelsea Cemetery. John passed away on Saturday, February 4, 2017. He was 89.
Born February 21, 1927 in Chelsea, to Clyde C. and Annie (Richardson) Brown, John was the youngest of three children. He attended Chelsea High School where he played football and was an excellent athlete. A friend of his joined the Merchant Marine and John tried to follow, but was disqualified because of a heart murmur. John joined the US Navy in 1945 and served his country during World War II, as a radioman in the Pacific Theater. Following his honorable discharge, John attended Oklahoma A&M, where he earned an Associate's Degree in radio and electronics in 1949. He later became an avid ham radio operator and talked to other amateur radio operators around the world using the license handle W5JZA.
On June 3, 1949, John married Nellie Wauhillau Foreman, of Bushyhead, at the First Christian Church in Chelsea. The couple briefly lived in Laredo, Texas, where John was employed on a seismic crew by Century Geophysical. They soon moved to Tulsa, where they lived ever since. For several years they resided in the Brookside neighborhood of Tulsa, and attended Trinity Methodist Church. John became a purchasing agent for T.D. Williams Inc.in Tulsa and worked there for many years. He then became Purchasing Director at Edgcomb Metals, and The Williams Companies.
John played the trumpet and the cornet in several groups, including Tulsa's Starlight Band for a time. That became a family pursuit: His son later played trumpet in high school orchestra and band, and one of his grandsons plays cornet. Later in life, John took up harmonica playing and became a bluegrass music enthusiast.
John was preceded in death by his wife Wauhillau in 2004, his parents, and a brother, Paul.Those family members that survived include his children David D. Brown of Tulsa, Nancy J. Brown of Lawndale, California, and Sara Hampton and husband Duke, also of Tulsa; grandsons Ryan Brown and Sean Brown of Lawnsdale, California.
View and sign John's online tribute at www.mmsfuneralhomes.com
Born February 21, 1927 in Chelsea, to Clyde C. and Annie (Richardson) Brown, John was the youngest of three children. He attended Chelsea High School where he played football and was an excellent athlete. A friend of his joined the Merchant Marine and John tried to follow, but was disqualified because of a heart murmur. John joined the US Navy in 1945 and served his country during World War II, as a radioman in the Pacific Theater. Following his honorable discharge, John attended Oklahoma A&M, where he earned an Associate's Degree in radio and electronics in 1949. He later became an avid ham radio operator and talked to other amateur radio operators around the world using the license handle W5JZA.
On June 3, 1949, John married Nellie Wauhillau Foreman, of Bushyhead, at the First Christian Church in Chelsea. The couple briefly lived in Laredo, Texas, where John was employed on a seismic crew by Century Geophysical. They soon moved to Tulsa, where they lived ever since. For several years they resided in the Brookside neighborhood of Tulsa, and attended Trinity Methodist Church. John became a purchasing agent for T.D. Williams Inc.in Tulsa and worked there for many years. He then became Purchasing Director at Edgcomb Metals, and The Williams Companies.
John played the trumpet and the cornet in several groups, including Tulsa's Starlight Band for a time. That became a family pursuit: His son later played trumpet in high school orchestra and band, and one of his grandsons plays cornet. Later in life, John took up harmonica playing and became a bluegrass music enthusiast.
John was preceded in death by his wife Wauhillau in 2004, his parents, and a brother, Paul.Those family members that survived include his children David D. Brown of Tulsa, Nancy J. Brown of Lawndale, California, and Sara Hampton and husband Duke, also of Tulsa; grandsons Ryan Brown and Sean Brown of Lawnsdale, California.
View and sign John's online tribute at www.mmsfuneralhomes.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John Jennings Brown, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Visitation
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
1:00 - 8:00 pm (Central time)
MMS - Payne Funeral Home & Cremation Service
Guestbook
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