William W. Brown Jr., avid sports fan

William W. Brown Jr., 83, of Lewes passed away Friday, June 4, 2021, at Beebe Healthcare in Lewes.  He was born April 8, 1938, in Honolulu, Hawaii, son of the late William W. Brown Sr. and Dorothy (Mollin) Lyle.

Mr. Brown graduated with a business degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He worked for the Government Employee Insurance Company (GEICO) as an insurance underwriter.  He had retired as a director for the Office of Resource Planning and Budgeting at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Mr. Brown was a devoted Christian and was a member of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Rehoboth Beach where he served as chair of the finance committee, was involved with the church's ESL program and was a member of their building expansion committee. He also served proudly in the D.C. National Guard.  After his retirement, Mr. Brown remained active, volunteering for New Life Thrift Shop in Lewes and Rehoboth areas and serving on the board of Lewes Rehoboth Association of Churches.

Mr. Brown enjoyed travelling with his wife and together visited all 50 states and visited almost all of the National Parks. He was an avid sports fan and loved the Washington, D.C.-area sports teams as well as the University of Maryland teams. He loved watching baseball, basketball, hockey, golf and college lacrosse games. His love of those sports carried through to his son Rick and granddaughter Marissa.

Mr. Brown was an avid outdoorsman who loved gardening, playing poker with his friends, watching the Redskins, the Nationals, and golf, though above all, Mr. Brown loved spending time with those he held most dear. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Mr. Brown is survived by his beloved wife, Patricia S. Brown, and they would have celebrated 56 years of marriage in July; his children: Richard Kurt Brown of College Park and Wendy Kim Brown of Washington, D.C.; his granddaughter, Marissa Danielle Brown of College Park; his brother, Michael G. Brown and wife Merriam of Cambridge, Md.; his brother-in-law, Gary Speicher and wife Gayle of Cosby, Tenn.; his sister-in-law, Karen Zalac and husband Ron of Worthington, Ohio; his many nieces and nephews; and especially his loving dog and companion, Abby.

Funeral services will take place Friday, June 18, at 11 a.m., at  Lutheran Church of Our Savior, where friends may visit beginning at 10 a.m.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions in Mr. Brown's memory be made to New Life Thrift Shop, 34686 Jiffy Way, Lewes, DE 19958, or National Parks Foundation, 1500 K St., Washington, DC 20005, Suite 700, or any food bank of your choice.

Please visit Mr.  Brown's Life Memorial Webpage and sign his virtual guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.