Dick Hanford Brown, 88, died late Saturday night, Sept. 26, 2015, in Camp Verde following a lengthy illness. A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, at Owens Livingston Mortuary-White Mountain Chapel, located at 320 N. Ninth St. in Show Low. The funeral service will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Show Low Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 1401 E. Deuce of Clubs, where additional visitation will begin one hour prior. The concluding service and interment will immediately follow at the Show Low Cemetery.
He was born Dec. 11, 1926, in McNary to the late Jess Pruitt and Blanche Myrtle (Johnson) Brown.
Dick graduated from McNary High School. In February 1945, a few short months after graduation, he found himself serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. His service took him to the Philippines, where he helped build roads, runways and other infrastructures that were used for the war effort. At the end of World War II, as the United States began the demobilization of troops from the different campaigns throughout the world, he received his honorable discharge in December 1946.
After being home from World War II just a few months, Dick began another chapter in his life. He married Marilyn June Turner on April 23, 1947, in Globe. Their marriage was solemnized in the Mesa Temple of the LDS church. When Marilyn died in October 2007, the couple had been married for 60 years. Later, Dick married his second wife, Agnes “Aggie” McDowell in the Snowflake Temple of the LDS church. Aggie, only a few months ago, passed away.
Dick was a hard worker throughout his whole life. Shortly after his marriage to Marilyn, he began working for Southwest Forest Industries, loading logs right onto the trains. Then, in 1964, he began working for the Operating Engineers Local Union as a heavy equipment operator and did so until his retirement at the age of 62. He was not one to sit idle and shortly after his retirement, he began working for the Dow Rhoton Cattle Company at Porter Mountain for another five years. He loved his cowboy life, and was known to play the guitar and sing a good cowboy song or two. In his younger years, Dick was an excellent team roper and spent countless hours at the rodeos. For many years after his retirement, he and Marilyn camped in many areas in the White Mountains and always appreciated the beauty of the area.
Survivors include his children, Dennis (Debra) Brown of Camp Verde, Sherilyn Showman of Monroe, Wash., Kim (Susan) Brown of Williams, Perry (Dawn) Brown of The Colony, Texas, and Melody (Scott) Frisch of Camp Verde; one sister, Velda (Dub) Rogers of Holbrook; 15 grandchildren; and 35 great-grandchildren.
Along with his parents and both wives, Dick was preceded in death by a grandson, Richard McMahon; a great-grandson, Dylan Perkins; two brothers, Jackie Brown and Denny Brown; and two sisters, Nola Wilson and Darlene Cooley.
