James William Brown's Obituary
James William Brown left this world to join his Lord in the early morning hours Sunday, August 20, 2017. Jim was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and will be dearly missed. He passed away peacefully at his home in the Edgemere Retirement Community, 8523 Thackery St. #2307, Dallas, TX 75225. Jim was born on Jan. 5, 1924 in Biltmore, NC. His father James Ed (J.E.) Brown and mother Julia West Brown – both of Mills River, NC, are both deceased. Jim was the last surviving sibling of five. His siblings included: Roy Brown, of Columbia, Missouri; his two younger brothers, Wayne Brown and David Brown and his sister, Carolyn Whitaker – all of Mills River, NC. Jim married Beverly Jean Emmett, of New Orleans, LA on November 23, 1946, in Austin, Texas. Jim and Beverly have three sons: James William Brown, III of Dallas, TX James and his wife, Lynne, have three children (His grandchildren): Julia Brown Melihercik of Dallas, TX and her husband Nathan Melihercik and their daughter, Anna, and their son, William (His great grandchildren); James William Brown, IV of Dallas, TX and his wife, Kathleen Lauden Brown and their two sons, Harrison and Shepherd (His great grandchildren); and Bradley Emmett Brown of Dallas, TX and his wife, Whitney Kane Brown. Britt Collier Brown of South Lake Tahoe, CA Britt and his wife, Liz, have one child (His grandchild), Cole Brown. Britt has an older son, David Britt Brown (His grandchild) of Los Angeles, CA from a previous marriage. Jeffery Emmett Brown of Plano, TX Jeff and his wife, Kelly, have three children (His grandchildren): Colin Brown of Houston, TX; Lilli Brown of Honolulu, HI; and, Hannah Brown of Plano, TX. James Walter Brown, his name was later changed in 1942 to James William Brown, was truly a charter member of Tom Brokaw’s proclaimed “The Greatest Generation.” He was a “self made man” if there ever was such a definition of terms. Once Jim told his family, after watching the CBS Evening News’ lead TV story on the Appalachian Poor in the 1930’s – a brutal, graphic account with unflattering descriptions of the western North Carolina mountain region and its down-trodden inhabitants – the region that was his boyhood home and was home to his family’s 100 acre dairy farm in the shadows of Mount Pisgah, NC, ”Gosh, the Evening News just reported about the abject poverty that I grew up in – and, that our mountain people were uneducated, poor and forgotten – but, I had always thought that I was rich – based on my family life – and, our church – and the folks that surrounded me in our community growing up.” After attending both Hendersonville High School in Hendersonville, N.C. and Mills River High School in Mills River, NC, Jim attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He entered the United States Army Air Corp in 1944, in which he served through the end of World War II. During his tenure, Jim flew the AT-6 Trainer and a variety of trainer aircraft before moving over to fly the B-24 “Liberator” Heavy Bomber as a pilot. He later was a primary pilot instructor on the B-24 Bomber at the B-24 Flight Instructional Base located at Tonopah, Nevada. Late in the War years, Jim flew the P-51D Mustang fighter for the armed forces. He received the American Theatre Medal and Victory Medal from the Air Force. He received his Honorable Discharge from the military in December, 1945, in Portland, Oregon. Jim was called back into service with the United States Air Force Intelligence Division in 1951 during the Korean War. In 1946, Jim attended the University of Texas at Austin on the GI Bill. It was at the University of Texas where he met and married his wife of a lifetime and the true beautiful “love of his life,” the former Beverly Jean Emmett of New Orleans, LA. The young couple attended classes and worked together in the summers for the U.S. Forestry Department as Forest Fire Lookouts at Montana’s Glacier National Park while still college students. The Browns later moved to Dallas, Texas after working on their course work for several years at the University of Texas. They moved to Dallas in 1949; and, Jim went to work for the Cokesbury Book Store in downtown Dallas. Jim was soon to work, as a young man, for the Permacel Tape Div. of Johnson & Johnson as a commissioned Sales Representative beginning in the early 1950’s– and the couple bought their first home in the, then, new Casa View section of Dallas. He established high levels of sales performance with the company—as he was a hard working salesman, with considerable people skills – with a young family to support – who sincerely enjoyed people and who cultivated their friendships. After several years, Jim decided to branch out from the big company to start his own small packaging services company – specializing in selling corrugated containers (boxes) and industrial tape products. He named the new start up company General Packaging; and, the company began its operations on Slocum St., west of downtown Dallas, in 1957. The company incorporated within the State of Texas in 1960 as General Packaging Corporation. For over forty years, Jim had a passion for packaging and loved working with people, both inside the company and the customers he called upon. This translated over time to a company that today employs approximately 200 people across 3 manufacturing facilities – and stands as a living legacy of his many years of hard work and dedication. Jim retired from the active operations of the business in 1999. The company is run by the Brown family today, and they seek to run the company in the same spirit in which Jim lived, driven by his integrity and fairness. Jim had an enthusiastic, life-long interest in airplanes of all kinds. He was a very skilled and accomplished pilot – and flew many different kinds of aircraft throughout his colorful life. He was one of the very few people who could say that he crash landed an AT6 Trainer, as a young Air Force pilot, into a nearby Orangeburg, South Carolina pole bean field – and was able to walk away from the accident – unhurt. Jim later owned and flew an early 1950’s Stetson, a 1960’s era Cessna 172 aircraft, and later a twin engine Cessna 310, and a Bonanza. He also piloted a German Switzer glider, on occasion, thousands of feet above the North Texas countryside, riding the lift of the thermals higher and higher in the hot summertime skies. He could visually identify almost any aircraft from a far away distance – immediately – and was an aircraft sight identifier expert. In his later years, Jim was an avid and accomplished wood sculpture artist. His artistic wood impressions and representations utilized regional wood materials and featured intricate hand carved etching detail. He often blended the use of tacked copper as an accent into the presentation of the wood artistry with often stunning results. Jim was also a renowned storyteller, an accomplished writer and often wrote personal poems and blessings to various members of the family and for important family occasions –such as Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gatherings. Jim was a 35-year member of his beloved Northwood Club in Dallas – and made many lifelong friends at the Club over this enjoyable association. Tennis and golf were his favorite activities. Also, Jim and his wife, Beverly, were members of the Hidden Hill community for many decades and owned a second cedar cabin home in the unique development, near Hickory Creek, TX, located in the countryside north and west of Lake Lewisville. The Browns also maintained a hill country home for many years on the Yaupon Golf course west of Austin – in the community of Lakeway – enjoying the beauty of the area’s numerous golf courses and nearby Lake Travis. Jim was a long time member of The Happy Warriors Club, a Dallas veteran’s group organization, and was an avid supporter of the Confederate Air Force and, later, the Frontiers of Flight Museum. The Brown’s recently celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary. They also celebrated their 70 plus years as Dallas residents. Jim and Beverly, in recent years, were active members of Edgemere, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, in Preston Hollow – and, have been residents of the Preston Hollow area of Dallas since 1956. Jim grew up in the Presbyterian Church in rural North Carolina; and, the Browns have been long time members of Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. Many times, in word and in poem, Jim expressed his deep faith in God and his abiding trust in his Lord Jesus Christ. The Brown family would like to thank their three wonderful care givers, Theresa, Dyan, and Jacklyn, all of whom were a tremendous blessing to the family – and to Mr. Brown in the last months of his life. The family would also like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the outstanding Staff at Edgemere for their constant help and support. A private grave side service will be held at Restland Memorial Park. A memorial service will be held at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, 9800 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75230 on Thursday, August 24th at 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel. Dr. Robert M. “Bob” Poteet will conduct the Services. The family would like to invite guests to a reception to be held immediately after the Church Service in the Parlor. Contributions honoring Mr. Brown’s life may be sent to: Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church 9800 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75230
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