William Robert BROWN

April 30, 1932 - September 20, 2020

William Robert Brown died Sept. 20, 2020, at his home in St. Peters, Mo. He was 88 years old. Mr. Brown was born April 30, 1932, in Washington, Kansas, the son of Wilson Raleigh Brown and Grace Tyner Brown. A few months later, he moved with his family to Marysville, Kansas, after a July 4 tornado destroyed a large part of Washington. He attended Marysville public schools and was a 1951 graduate of Marysville High School, where he excelled in football and track and met his future wife, Mary Elaine Bornhorst. Following graduation, he worked as a truck driver for the Pepsi-Cola bottling works in Marysville and played for the town baseball team until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served two years in the military, seeing combat action in the Korean War. After being discharged from the Army, Mr. Brown returned to Marysville and married Miss Bornhorst on July 2, 1955, at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church. The newlywed couple then moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where Mr. Brown attended technical school. Upon graduation he began working in January 1957 for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (later McDonnell-Douglas) in St. Louis and moved his family to St. Charles and later O’Fallon, Missouri. In O’Fallon he was involved in Scouting and little league baseball and helped start the little league football program. Mr. Brown was an active member of Assumption Catholic Church. He also played softball for local teams and those sponsored by his employer. He spent his entire professional career at McDonnell, working in avionics on the manned space program and the F-4 and F-15 fighter jets and spent time working in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. He retired in 1992 after 35 years. In retirement, he worked for a while for a medical courier service and pursued his passion for fishing and enjoyed family gatherings. He was also active in the American Legion and Grace Baptist Church in St. Charles. Mr. Brown married Carole Chumney Harrell on Sept. 7, 1996, in St. Peters. She survives him. Also surviving are his nine children: Robert (Tamsen Whistler), Grace, Donald (Tammie), Eugene (Ana), Paula Dye (David), Richard, Frank, Raymond (Alicia), and Bernard. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Gillette, his sister-in-law Josephine Peoples, and numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by 18 grandchildren: Michael and Joseph Brown; Matthew (Courtney) and Keith Dye; Frank, Allison, Stephanie, William, Teal, Caitlen and Cassie Brown; Allysse Batchelor (Scott); Wilson Whistler-Brown; Cody and Ana Brown; and Andrew Brown (Jenna), Jacqueline Lovely (David), and Harlan Brown. Also surviving are 22 great-grandchildren: Riley and Natalee Dye; Elaina and Landon; Emmalyn; Maximus Batchelor; Riley and Jordin; Scarlet Brown; Gavin Brown; Lillian and Gracelynn; Andrew, Adrianna, Brooklyn, Nevaeh, David, and Brianna Brown; and Rebecca, Dylan, Isabel, and Alice Lovely. Also surviving are Carole’s sons, Mark, Steven (Stacie), and Robert (Kristina) Harrell. Surviving step-grandchildren are Joseph (Marcie) Yates; Alie Harrell; Gavin and Dylan Harrell; Kristen (Bryan) Musheno; David (Andrea) Harrell; Christopher Harrell; and Cheyenne and Jessica Pauls. Step-great-grandchildren include Jack, Billy, and Joey Yates; Aubrey Harrell; and Logan and Liam Musheno. He was preceded in death by his first wife, his parents, his brothers Francis and Kenneth, and his sister, Donna Carter. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor William's memory may make memorial donations to Caris Healthcare 13995 Clayton Rd., Town and Country, MO 63017, 636-527-6675 or by visiting www.carishealthcare.com/donations/ Funeral services will be Sept. 28 at Grace Baptist Church, 3601 Ehlmann Road, St. Charles 63301. Visitation will be at the church beginning at 8:30 a.m. with the funeral at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be with military honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis at 12:30 p.m. Pallbearers will be his sons and stepsons. Alternative Funeral and Cremation Services is handling the arrangements.