Thomas Wesley Brown passed away Sunday, September 19, 2021, at the age of 78 years. He was born in Albany, Oregon, on December 26, 1942, to G. Dee and Ada Mary (Geer) Brown. He was the third son and was later joined by a sister.
After attending a rural elementary school, he attended Albany High School, graduating in June 1961. He went on to attend Oregon Polytechnic Institute, College of Engineering Technology, graduating in 1963 with an Associate of Science in Civil Engineering Technology in Portland, OR. He then embarked on his technical career with the Oregon State Highway Department.
He met the love of his life, Lynette Evans, through friends and a game of keep-away at the Emmanuel Hospital swimming pool. They married surrounded by family and friends on January 10, 1964.
On 23 March 1966, he was inducted into the Army during the Vietnam War and soon after, entered Engineer Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Belvoir, VA. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation from OCS in April 1967. He was assigned to duty at Fort Richardson, Alaska, as a Combat Engineer Unit Commander, and with training in Cold Weather Readiness, was assigned to a Heavy Equipment Group that built bridges and roads. On 28 April 1968, Tom was commission as a 1st Lieutenant and assigned to the 2nd Maintenance Company, 69th General Support Group in Alaska. He continued to serve until his Honorable Discharge on 1 April 1969. During his time of service, he was awarded a National Defense Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal and earned an Expert Badge (Rifle). Tom's family expanded during his time in Alaska to include a daughter and son.
Tom entered Oregon State University (OSU), completing his Civil Engineer Degree in 1974. He received his Oregon Professional Engineer License in 1978, and later obtained his professional engineer licensure in Colorado. He was a longtime member of the Professional Engineers of Oregon, serving as President of the Mid-Willamette Chapter from 1988 to 1989.
Upon graduation from OSU, Hoffman Construction Company hired him and he worked for six years on various assignments. One of his favorite projects involved building transfer stations in Vancouver, WA, that were then shipped to Alaska for the Alaska Oil Pipeline. Other construction projects he enjoyed included building the cement plant in Durkee, Oregon; a nuclear power plant in Tri-Cities, Washington; and a paper plant addition in Missoula, Montana. Moving back to Oregon, Tom worked for Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Company and progressed through its name changes to US West and Quest, which later became Century Link. He retired from Quest in Denver, Colorado, in 2002, when and he and Lynette moved back to Oregon. In retirement, he sold AFLAC insurance and Vitamist vitamin supplements.
Finally, he retired again to enjoy his hobby – growing roses. His modest start with three roses soon became 55 plants, a burgeoning showy attraction in the neighborhood. He also joined the Portland Rose Society. Throughout his life, he enjoyed restoring or repairing old engines, including a "one-lunger" and old cars. He had a life-long love of hot cars and favorite memories include his old Studebaker; a 1956 Oldsmobile; a 1966, Dodge Dart – his first new car which he then had to leave behind in Alaska; and a new 1969 Dodge Charger R/T. Later he bought an old ODOT boom truck which he used to harvest logs and help build his and Lynette's log house. Another one of his interests was researching about his Uncle John Geer, who flew a B-24J Liberator in WWII. He enjoyed traveling throughout the US, visiting friends, family, and historic sites along the way. Each place he lived he was actively involved with his church, often serving as an elder and spearheading building and maintenance needs.
Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Lynette Brown of Oregon City; daughter, Gene Marie Tupper (Dan) of Oregon City; son, Jonathan Wesley Brown (Micheal Oravetz) of McMinnville; granddaughters, Ghislain (Brown) Viers, Elisabeth Tupper, Gabrielle Brown, and Emily Tupper, and grandson, Andrew Brown; great-grandsons Peter and Lincoln Viers; brothers, David Brown of Portland (passed away 5-21- 2022) and James Brown of Eugene, and sister, Carolyn Daniels of Wamego, KS; and many extended family members.
Funeral Services will be held Friday, June 10, 2022. He will be inurned at Willamette National Cemetery (11800 SE Mount Scott Boulevard, Portland, OR) with military honors. Those attending should gather at the office at 10:30AM for processional to the shelter. There will be a Celebration of Life at Living Hope Church (19691 S Meyers Road, Oregon City OR) immediately following the service.