Edward Brown

Edward Owen Brown, 77, of Tucson, passed away after an active life of music and sports on June 20, 2018 in Tucson. A life-long athlete and teacher, Ed kept himself fit as an avid golfer and by playing basketball nearly every day of his life, and loved to teach others about his passion for music, dancing and singing. Ed was born May 7, 1941 in Quincy, Ill. and spent the first 12 years of his life on a family farm near Barry, Ill., the middle of three children of the late Elmer Owen Brown and Dorothy Kellum Brown. In addition to his farm chores, he grew up hunting and fishing with his father and younger brother Donnie. They fished the Mississippi River for catfish and blue gill. The family owned 40-plus acres in a rural setting surrounded by relatives and a small town with one general store, one gas pump, and no electricity or running water. His father used plow horses on the family farm that Ed described as their “Field of Dreams” with a baseball field in the corn field. He inherited his love for sports and the St. Louis Cardinals from his father Elmer. His father took him to see baseball greats, including Joe DiMaggio who they saw hit five straight home runs in batting practice in Quincy, Illinois. Elmer coached his son in baseball from birth to age nine, at which time Ed was introduced to basketball in fourth grade. The whole family danced, and Ed said he and Donnie knew how to country dance before they could walk. They danced three nights a week in Illinois, in the barns, kitchens or porches of relatives. Saturdays they danced at the local high school gym and Sundays at the church recreation hall. The family sold the farm in 1953 and relocated to the desert of Southern Arizona to benefit the health of Ed’s mother Dorothy who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. In Arizona, the Browns watched baseball legends Stan Musial, Will Mays, Micky Mantle in spring training games against the Cleveland Indians in Tucson. But it was the basketball court where Eddie made his mark. He became a four-year varsity starter at Tucson’s Flowing Wells High School, and led the team in scoring each year. By the time he graduated he had established a new city career scoring record (which was later broken by a player he coached). His senior season he earned All-America honorable mention and was captain of the All-State Tournament team. He was named the 1959 Tucson Citizen Student-Athlete of the Year. In 2008, Ed was inducted into the Flowing Wells High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He earned a basketball scholarship to BYU, where he played one season on the freshman team before transferring home to play for the U of A. He graduated from Arizona and was a faithful fan of Wildcat sports for nearly 60 years. Ed never lost his love for basketball, shooting nearly every day at the gym and entering competitions. He won Senior Olympic shooting championships regularly in his 50s, 60s and 70s. As recently as January, he won three gold medals for basketball shooting at Tucson’s 2018 Senior Olympic Festival. Ed had a life-long passion for performing, singing and playing guitar. He taught his daughter Kim to sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ as a four-year-old and the two performed together during her youth. He taught music and dancing for several years. Ed is survived by his brother Don Brown (Tucson, Ariz.); five children: Heather Hansen (Logan, Utah), Heath Nielsen (Colorado City, Colo.), Ryan Nielsen (Highland, Utah), Kimberly DeSantis (Tucson, Ariz.) and Tara Nilson (Tucson, Ariz.); and 12 grandchildren: Samuel, Jonah, H, Kye, Sayer, Hannah, Daphne, Tamsin, Hunter, Ryker, Hudson and Gavin. He was preceded in death by both parents and an older sister, Mary Maerilla Brown. A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 14, at 10 a.m. at the LDS Chapel at 6150 E. Fairmount St. in Tucson.