Dan Willis Brown

Male 1931 - 2012  (81 years)


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  • Name Dan Willis Brown 
    Birth 19 Feb 1931  Coleman County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Gender Male 
    Graduation 0___ 1959  Texas Tech Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Death 28 Mar 2012  Wellington, New Zealand Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Burial Karori Cemetery, Wellington, New Zealand Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Person ID I33051  The Hennessee Family
    Last Modified 11 Sep 2015 

    Father Horace Walter Brown,   b. 2 Nov 1896, Texas Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Sep 1950, (Coleman, Coleman County, Texas) Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 53 years) 
    Mother Lella Otis Griffin,   b. 14 Apr 1906, Madisonville, Madison County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 8 Nov 1994, Coleman, Coleman County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 88 years) 
    Marriage 4 May 1930  Coleman, Coleman County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 3, 4
    Photos
    Don Maynard Brown on the left.
 
Dan Willis Brown on the right.
    Don Maynard Brown on the left. Dan Willis Brown on the right.
    Photo provided by Doris Ann Brown Buhr, September 10, 2015, dbuhr@gvtc.com

    First three children of Horace Walter Brown and Lella Otis (Griffin) Brown; Coleman, Coleman County, Texas, c. 1938

    Photo provided by Doris Ann Brown Buhr, September 10, 2015, dbuhr@gvtc.com

    This is the five Brown kids taken about 1943 at Lella (Griffin) Brown's parent's house -- Hale Noah Griffin and Mexie (Mathis) Griffin; Coleman, Coleman County, Texas:

    Dan Willis Brown; Don Maynard Brown, Dale Frances Brown (female); Dwane Allen Brown; Doris Ann Brown

    Only Dale and I are still living and she is on her last leg in a nursing home in Brenham, Texas. Sometime ago a doctor said he thought she had water on the brain. She refused treatment so is now just a vegetable. So sad. Dale is/was the best of the five Brown kids. She taught Sunday School and played the piano for the children. She was such a kind and nice person. She would never put down another person!!

    All five of the Brown kids graduated from college:

    Dan Willis Brown 1959, Texas Tech, geology; all four of Dan's sons graduated from college
    Don Maynard Brown 1958 graduated from Texas Tech; Dairy Management
    Doris Ann Brown: Texas Woman's University 1958; MEd degree 1985 University of Texas Brownsville/Pan American University
    Dale Frances Brown Morgan: Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 1976 (she was married when she graduated)
    Dwane Allen Brown: University of Texas, Austin; 1964

    Photo provided by Doris Ann Brown Buhr, September 10, 2015, dbuhr@gvtc.com
    Family ID F12119  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 19 Feb 1931 - Coleman County, Texas Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsGraduation - 0___ 1959 - Texas Tech Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 28 Mar 2012 - Wellington, New Zealand Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Karori Cemetery, Wellington, New Zealand Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • Dan Willis Brown, Son of the late Horace Walter Brown and Lella Otis Griffin of Coleman, Texas was born February 19 1931 in Coleman and passed away in Wellington, New Zealand on March 28, 2012. He was 81 years old.

      He had attended the two elementary schools in Coleman, Texas; South Ward and West Ward and then Coleman High School graduating in May of 1948. After spending two years travelling around the country, he joined the U S Navy in September of 1950 with a childhood friend of his and just after the outbreak of the Korean War. Brown spent four years on active duty in the U S Navy during which time he completed three tours of duty in parts of 1951, 52, 53 and 54 as a Shortwave Radio Operator aboard a destroyer, USS Porterfield DD682, and in the Korean area and with one tour in the French-IndoChina area during the French occupation of that country. During this time and as a member of the Allied forces in the area he received the Korean Service Medal with three Stars, the United Nations Medal, the National Defense Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the China Service Medal. He returned to the U S in June of 1954 just after the French had been defeated and was discharged from the U S Navy on July 7 1954. On June 25, 2000 he was awarded the Korean Service Medal that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. On January 31, 2011 he was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon by the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C. for his being a part of combat operations during various phases of the Korean War.

      He entered Texas Technological College in September of 1954 and graduated in August of 1959 with a Bachelors Degree in Geology. During his time in school he married a girl from his home town and over the next few years three Sons; Greg, Bret and Randy, were born. In 1964 he rejoined the U S Navy and in a reserve unit in Amarillo, Texas and remained in the active and inactive reserves until 1974.

      He was divorced in 1973 and married his second Wife Janny Wee in Singapore in 1976. Their Son Jonathan Noah Brown was born in Singapore March 4, 1979.

      After graduation from the University, Brown was employed in June of 1958 by Core Laboratories, Inc in Lubbock, Texas and in the position of a Core Analyst. He spent ten years with this company, first in this job as a Core Analyst and later as a Laboratory Manager and Well Site Geologist. Over the period from 1968 and until 1998 when he retired he was also employed in various management positions by a number of oil and gas drilling and exploration companies; namely Triton Oil & Gas Corporation, Triton Energy Corporation, Triton Indonesia, Inc., Atwood Oceanics International Limited, Bawden Drilling International Limited, New Zealand Petroleum Company Limited, Petroleum Services Limited and Apex, an Indonesian company. He had held the role of Exploration Manager of New Zealand Petroleum Company Limited from September of 1984 until January of 1993. Brown was then transferred to Jakarta, Indonesia in January of 1993 as General Manager of Triton Indonesia, Inc and remained there until late in 1997.

      Brown returned to New Zealand in January 1998 and retired in June of that year. He is survived by his Wife Janny, four Sons and their Wives; Greg and Heather of Pampa, Texas, Bret and Annette of Sunray, Texas, Randy & Diane of College Station, Texas and Jonathan and Lily of Wellington, New Zealand, one former Daughter-in-law Renee of Pampa, Texas, six grandsons, two granddaughters, one great grandson, one great granddaughter and two Sisters, Doris Buhr of Canyon Lake, Texas and Dale Morgan of Brenham, Texas. He was preceded in death by two Brothers, Don of Grosvenor, Texas and Dwane of New York City.

      A military funeral service is to be held at the Presbyterian Village Church in the suburb of Khandallah, Wellington, New Zealand and with burial in the Veteran's section of the Karori Cemetery in Wellington. [1]

  • Sources 
    1. [S45452] Doris Ann Brown Buhr | 4 Aug 2012 | Email dbuhr@gvtc.com.

    2. [S7745] Doris Ann Brown Buhr, September 10, 2015, dbuhr@gvtc.com.

    3. [S48304] https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/SBLR-M73.

    4. [S7730] Doris Ann Brown Buhr | 10 Sep 2015 | dbuhr@gvtc.com.